Spirituality

Filmmakers say wind and thunder rolled in as Daniel spoke prophecy on set

The brothers behind the new film 'Daniel and the Fiery Furnace' say a sudden weather shift on their set in India confirmed what they already believed was a divine calling, Crosswalk.com reports. Matthew Kooman told Crosswalk Headlines that during a scene of Daniel interpreting King Nebuchadnezzar's dream, filmed in an amphitheater, thunder rolled in with no warning as actor Mena Massoud spoke about 'an everlasting Kingdom coming.'

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Wind picked up mid-take, filmmakers say#

Matthew Kooman said there had been no storms during filming until the moment the actors began speaking lines from Scripture, when the wind suddenly picked up. 'The flags were blowing down, all the food tents and everything were blowing around like tumbleweed,' he told Crosswalk Headlines, adding that the crew kept the cameras rolling because they were capturing a large single shot.

He described the moment as spiritual rather than coincidental, telling Crosswalk Headlines, 'The Holy Spirit just blew in like a wind while we were still recording.' The film stars Mena Massoud, known for 'Aladdin,' as Daniel and Elijah Alexander, known for 'The Chosen,' as King Nebuchadnezzar, and it opened in theaters the weekend Crosswalk published its account.

CBN's 'Faith in Culture' reported a related account of the same production, saying Daniel and Matthew Kooman described the atmosphere on set shifting as Massoud recited lines about a kingdom 'that will never be destroyed or conquered,' drawn from Daniel 2:44-45 in the New Living Translation. Matthew Kooman told CBN, 'the natural realm responded to those words of prophetic Scripture.'

Other filmmakers describe similar spiritual framing#

CBN reports the film raised $1.2 million through crowdfunding, with the Koomans saying they believe audiences want epic-style theatrical films like 'Daniel and the Fiery Furnace.' Crosswalk.com adds that the film follows Daniel's captivity from Israel to Babylon and culminates in Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego surviving the fiery furnace.

Other filmmakers have framed their own projects in similarly spiritual terms this year. Writer-director Hasan Hadi told Sundance Institute that his feature 'The President's Cake,' which premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, came from a story that felt urgent rather than chosen, saying 'it wasn't something I wanted' but something that called him to tell it.

Angad Aulakh and Guy Kent, the filmmakers behind the 15-minute space short 'Aurora,' told NetflixJunkie they left the film's ending unresolved on purpose, saying the story became about the possibility that the universe contains forms of intelligence or compassion beyond current understanding, and that naming that force would only limit it.

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