MURI uyu mwaka, filimi ivuga iby’irema yari yarateguriwe gufasha abantu kwizera ko Bibiliya ari Ijambo ry’Imana, izaba imaze imyaka 100 yerekanywe ku ncuro ya mbere. Iyo filimi yagaragaje ko Yehova ari we Muremyi mu gihe abantu benshi bari baratakaje ukwizera, bitewe no kwemera ubwihindurize, ibitekerezo by’abantu bajoraga ibintu, n’iby’abemeragato.

Charles T. Russell, wayoboraga Abigishwa ba Bibiliya, yahoraga ashaka uburyo bwiza kurusha ubundi kandi bwihuse bwo gukwirakwiza ukuri ko muri Bibiliya. Abigishwa ba Bibiliya bari bamaze imyaka isaga mirongo itatu bakwirakwiza uko kuri bifashishije ibitabo. Noneho hari uburyo bushya babonye ko bwari kubafasha. Babonye ko bashoboraga gukoresha filimi.

Mu myaka ya 1890, filimi zitarimo amajwi zatangiye kwerekanwa. Mu ntangiriro z’umwaka wa 1903, mu rusengero rw’Ababatisita rwo mu mugi wa New York City herekanywe filimi y’idini. Mu mwaka wa 1912 ubwo filimi zari zikimara kwaduka, Russell yatangiye gutegura filimi ivuga iby’irema. Yabonaga ko ubwo buryo bushya bwari gutuma ukuri ko muri Bibiliya gukwirakwira cyane kurusha uko ibitabo byonyine byashoboraga kugukwirakwiza.

Iyo filimi yamaraga amasaha umunani, ubusanzwe yerekanwaga mu byiciro bine. Yarimo disikuru ngufi 96 zishingiye kuri Bibiliya, zabaga zarasomwe n’umuntu uzwiho kuba azi kuvugira mu ruhame kandi afite ijwi ryiza. Ibice byinshi by’iyo filimi byabaga biherekejwe n’umuzika wa kera. Abavandimwe b’abahanga berekanaga amashusho y’amabara bakoresheje diyapozitive, bakerekana na za filimi zabaga zarakinwe zigaragaza inkuru zizwi cyane zo muri Bibiliya, bigaherekezwa n’umuzika n’amajwi byabaga biri kuri za disiki.

Udufilimi twinshi tugaragara muri iyo filimi ivuga iby’irema hamwe n’amafoto ari ku turahuri, byabaga byaraguzwe muri za sitidiyo. Abanyabugeni b’abahanga b’i Philadelphia, ab’i New York, ab’i Paris n’ab’i Londres bashushanyaga n’intoki kuri buri karahuri no kuri buri negatifu byakoreshwaga muri diyapozitive. Abakozi bo mu Rwego rwari Rushinzwe iby’Ubugeni rwo kuri Beteli na bo bakoze imirimo myinshi yo gushushanya, bagasimbura  n’amafoto yabaga yarangiritse. Uretse udufilimi baguraga, hari n’utundi bafatiraga mu mugi wa Yonkers muri leta ya New York, twarimo abari bagize umuryango wa Beteli. Babaga bakina ibikubiye mu nkuru ivuga iby’Aburahamu, Isaka, n’umumarayika wabujije Aburahamu gutamba umwana we.—Intang 22:9-12.

Hari umuntu wari ufatanyije n’umuvandimwe Russell wabwiye abanyamakuru ko iyo “filimi yari gushishikariza abantu benshi gukunda Ibyanditswe, kuruta ibindi byose byari byarakozwe hagamijwe gukwirakwiza inyigisho z’idini.” Ese abayobozi b’amadini bari kwishimira ubwo buryo bushya bwari bubonetse bwo kugeza ukuri ku bantu benshi bari bafite inzara yo mu buryo bw’umwuka? Oya, ahubwo abakuru b’amadini yiyita aya gikristo bose muri rusange bamaganye iyo filimi ivuga iby’irema, ndetse hari bamwe beruye babuza abantu kuyireba cyangwa babikora mu buryo bufifitse. Mu gace kamwe, hari abakuru b’idini basabye abantu kuzimya umuriro w’amashanyarazi.

Nyamara kandi, abazaga kureba iyo filimi ku buntu babaga buzuye mu mazu yerekanirwagamo. Muri Leta Zunze Ubumwe za Amerika, buri munsi iyo filimi yerekanwaga mu migi igera kuri 80. Bwari ubwa mbere abenshi mu bayirebaga bari babonye filimi irimo amajwi. Tekiniki yo kwihutisha amashusho yatumye abantu bashobora kubona umushwi udonda igi maze uvamo, babona n’ururabo rubumbura. Ibintu byo mu rwego rwa siyansi byagaragaraga muri iyo filimi byatsindagirije ubwenge buhambaye bwa Yehova. Nk’uko twabivuze tugitangira, hari uwabonye umuvandimwe Russell avuga ijambo ribimburira iyo filimi, maze abona ko ‘yagaragaraga neza kurusha uko wamwibonera amaso ku yandi.’

Umwanditsi akaba n’umuhanga mu mateka ya za filimi witwa Tim Dirks, yavuze ko filimi ivuga iby’irema ari yo “filimi ya mbere yarimo amajwi (ni ukuvuga ibyafatiwe ku byuma bifata amajwi), yajyaniranaga n’udufilimi n’amafoto y’amabara yerekanwaga hakoreshejwe diyapozitive.” Filimi zakozwe mbere y’iyo zari zarakoresheje zimwe muri izo tekiniki, ariko ntihigeze hasohoka filimi yabonekagamo izo tekiniki zose, cyane cyane irimo inyigisho za Bibiliya. Ikindi kandi, nta yindi filimi yarebwe n’abantu benshi nk’ivuga iby’irema. Mu mwaka wa mbere yerekanywemo, yarebwe n’abantu bagera kuri miriyoni icyenda bo muri Amerika ya Ruguru, mu Burayi, muri Ositaraliya no muri Nouvelle-Zélande!

Iyo filimi ivuga iby’irema yerekanywe ku ncuro ya mbere ku itariki ya 11 Mutarama 1914 mu mugi wa New York City. Amezi arindwi nyuma yaho, hateye icyago cyaje kwitwa Intambara ya Mbere y’Isi Yose. Ariko kandi, hirya no hino ku isi abantu benshi bakomeje guhurira hamwe bakareba iyo filimi, bagahumurizwa n’amafoto meza agaragaza imigisha izazanwa n’Ubwami. Muri filimi zose zerekanywe mu mwaka wa 1914, nta yari ihwanye n’ivuga iby’irema.