Landmark Christian documentary “Second Holy Land” launches $30,000 pre-production campaign ahead of October filming
International documentary will reveal Armenia’s largely forgotten foundational role in Christianity while advancing a broader mission of cultural preservation, global awareness and faith-based tourism
LOS ANGELES — August 30, 2026 — Award-winning journalist and documentary filmmaker Vic Gerami has launched a $30,000 pre-production campaign for “Second Holy Land,” a landmark international documentary and educational initiative exploring one of Christianity’s most significant yet largely overlooked stories: Armenia’s foundational role in the development and preservation of the Christian faith.
The immediate $30,000 campaign will allow the production to secure its cinematographer, assistant cinematographer and lighting crew in Armenia through retainers, enabling the team to commit to the film’s production schedule rather than accepting other projects. Gerami intends to move into pre-production immediately and begin filming in October.
“Second Holy Land is much more than an Armenian documentary,” Gerami said. “It is about reconnecting Christians around the world with an extraordinary chapter of their own history that many have never been taught. We are now at the point where $30,000 can activate the next stage of production and put us on the ground in Armenia.”
“Second Holy Land” traces Armenia’s Christian story from the first century through the present day. Armenia became the first nation to adopt Christianity as its state religion in 301, but its Christian history began centuries earlier, when the Apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew brought the Gospel to Armenia.
Among the sacred history explored in the documentary is the Holy Lance, traditionally believed to be the spear that pierced the side of Jesus Christ during the Crucifixion. The relic is preserved at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin in Armenia, where it remains one of the Armenian Church’s most revered treasures.
The film will also explore Thaddeus’ founding of the first church, Saint Thaddeus Monastery, in A.D. 66, which remains the site of an annual pilgrimage tradition, along with Armenia’s ancient monasteries, sacred geography, archaeological record, and nearly two-thousand-year history of preserving Christianity through invasion, persecution, genocide, displacement, and attempted cultural erasure.
Yet “Second Holy Land” is being conceived as anything but a conventional historical documentary.
Gerami describes the film as a cinematic journey of discovery, revealing its story layer by layer and using mystery, visual storytelling and unexpected revelations to engage younger generations and audiences far beyond traditional religious or historical programming.
“I do not want to make a dry, didactic documentary,” Gerami said. “I want audiences to experience discovery. Every chapter should make them wonder what they are going to uncover next, while everything we present is supported by historical scholarship, archaeology, scientific research, archival materials, sacred geography and interviews with leading clergy, scholars, historians and experts.”
The documentary is also driven by a broader objective: protection, with faith-based tourism representing an important long-term benefit.
“Attention is protection,” Gerami said. “If millions of Christians around the world begin to recognize Armenia as one of Christianity’s great historic centers, it becomes much harder to erase Armenian history, destroy Armenian cultural heritage or attack the Armenian people without international scrutiny.”
Gerami also believes the film could introduce Armenia to a much larger share of the global faith-based tourism market. Religious or faith-based tourism accounts for approximately 400 to 600 million international travelers annually, representing roughly 20 percent of global tourism.
“If Armenia attracts even a fraction of that audience, the long-term cultural and economic impact could be enormous,” Gerami said. “Second Holy Land is not simply about looking backward. It is about using Armenia’s extraordinary history to help protect and strengthen its future.”
“Second Holy Land” is being developed for theatrical, broadcast and streaming distribution, with a broader educational initiative envisioned for churches, universities, seminaries, museums, libraries, cultural institutions, exhibitions, curriculum resources and digital platforms worldwide.
Gerami’s previous documentary, “ARTSAKH: Armenian Genocide Continues,” became an Official Selection at 82 international film festivals and received 40 Best Documentary Feature awards.
A five-minute “Second Holy Land” Vision Reel has been produced to introduce prospective supporters, partners and audiences to the scope and cinematic direction of the project.
Watch the Second Holy Land Vision Reel: https://bit.ly/3Uw4mDZ
The production is currently seeking an individual, organization, institution or foundation to underwrite the immediate $30,000 pre-production need. A supporter underwriting the full amount will receive Executive Producer credit in the film. Larger founding producer commitments and strategic partnership opportunities are also available.
Contributions to “Second Holy Land” are 100% tax deductible through the Truth And Accountability League (TAAL), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded by Gerami.
While the immediate objective is to secure the $30,000 necessary to activate pre-production, contributions at other levels are also welcomed and will support the film’s development and production.
Prospective supporters, foundations, faith-based organizations, media partners, and strategic partners can download the Second Holy Land Pitch Deck at https://bit.ly/4iBFFzU and the Project Information Package at https://bit.ly/4ybq2nh.
To explore Founding Producer Opportunities, support the project, watch the five-minute Vision Reel online at: https://bit.ly/460EXor. Visit SecondHolyLand.com, where the Pitch Deck and Project Information Package are also available to view and download.
