Film that does the work your small group needs
The hardest part of running a small group is often the opening — getting people past the polite surface and into a real conversation about what they actually believe, doubt, or wonder about. The right film does that in under 30 minutes, without you needing to prepare a curriculum or steer the conversation artificially.
Jesus Film Project has produced a range of free content built specifically for this kind of setting. Content that works in someone's living room, in a parish meeting room, or in a church hall. Everything here is free on YouTube — no downloads, no licences, no registration.
Made for Ireland: NUA was produced with Irish young adults in mind. It engages with questions of identity, doubt, and meaning in a way that connects with the Irish cultural context — not translated from an American setting, but genuinely rooted in how young Irish people are thinking about faith today. The Way of St Patrick series uses a story every Irish person already knows as a starting point for conversations most groups would never otherwise have.
NUA — the best small group series for Irish groups
NUA is a Jesus Film Project series built for people who are somewhere between curious and sceptical about faith. Each episode is short enough to screen in a single group session and structured specifically to generate discussion — the questions are built into the content itself, so you do not need to prepare a separate curriculum.
The series works whether your group already believes or is still working it out. It does not preach and it does not assume. It raises honest questions about God, meaning, identity, and doubt — and it trusts the group to engage with them. That is what makes it work where a more didactic approach would not.
Built for Irish young adults exploring faith honestly. Each episode raises a real question, invites genuine reflection, and opens discussion that most small groups can't manufacture on their own. No prep required beyond pressing play.
Browse all NUA episodes →Simple small group session plan — NUA episode
Discussion questions for a NUA session
- What question in the episode stayed with you most?
- Is there something about faith you've always wondered but never said out loud in a group?
- What would it take for you to take this more seriously?
- If God existed and was actually interested in you, what would that change?
- What do the people around you — friends, family — think about this? Does that affect you?
The Way of St Patrick — for Irish small groups around March 17
Most people in Ireland have grown up with some version of Patrick's story. The Way of St Patrick series goes behind the legend to the actual man: his capture as a teenager, years of slavery in Ireland, his escape, and his decision to come back. What drove that return? The series connects Patrick's story to questions of calling, purpose, and faith that small group members are already wrestling with, often without a framework to articulate them.
Three episodes, each standing alone or running as a short series. Particularly effective in the weeks around St Patrick's Day — but the questions hold up year-round.
Patrick's real story used as a starting point for conversations about calling, purpose, and why anyone would choose a harder path. Works with groups that include people who are sceptical — everyone already knows who Patrick is, which removes the usual resistance.
Watch all three episodes →My Last Day — for Easter, Holy Week, and deeper sessions
My Last Day is a 30-minute anime short that tells the crucifixion from the perspective of the repentant thief. The anime format is what makes it work — people who would switch off from a conventional retelling engage fully with this. It reaches people emotionally before their defences can go up, and the questions it raises tend to surface things that group members haven't found language for yet.
Particularly powerful for a Holy Week session or an Easter small group meeting. Also works as a standalone session outside of the Easter season — the story does not require any seasonal framing to land.
The crucifixion through the eyes of the repentant thief. Anime format reaches people emotionally before their guard goes up. One of the most used JFP resources worldwide — consistently opens the kind of conversation a small group usually spends months building toward.
View film page →How to introduce My Last Day to a small group: Don't say it's about the crucifixion. Just say you're watching a 30-minute short film. After it finishes, sit in the silence for 30 seconds before saying anything. Then ask: "What stayed with you from that?" The conversation tends to go places that take most small groups months to reach.
Discussion questions after My Last Day
- What moment stayed with you most from the film?
- The thief did nothing to deserve what he received. What do you make of that?
- What does Jesus' response to him say about who Jesus is?
- Is there something you find hard to accept forgiveness for?
- If that story is true, what does it actually change?
Holy Week series — for a group running through Easter 2026
The Holy Week series from Jesus Film Project gives you one short clip per day from Palm Sunday (29 March) through Easter Sunday (5 April 2026). Each clip runs 5–8 minutes and covers a key moment in the final week of Jesus' life. Running them through your small group meeting each week of Holy Week gives the group a shared experience of the Easter story without needing to build a full curriculum around it.
For more Easter resources including a full Holy Week programme guide, see the Easter resources for Irish churches page.
A quick guide — what works for different small group formats
- Outreach-oriented groups (includes seekers): Start with NUA series — designed for people not yet in the faith. Follow with My Last Day for an Easter session.
- Established small groups: The Way of St Patrick as a short March series, My Last Day at Easter, Holy Week clips through Holy Week itself.
- Alpha groups: NUA works alongside Alpha as an outreach companion — show episodes at socials or outreach events attached to the Alpha course.
- Home churches: NUA series as a recurring format — one episode per gathering, discussion-led. Sustainable format with no ongoing preparation cost.
- Parish-based groups: Holy Week series for the seven days before Easter. My Last Day for a Good Friday gathering. NUA for any group wanting to reach younger members.