EXCLUSIVE: Kennedy Center To Host Premiere Of Film On Gen Z Religious Revival

A film premiering at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts promises to open “a window into a spiritual awakening” taking place across the country among America’s youth.

The Daily Wire can first report that the Washington, D.C., theater will host the red carpet premiere of “The Revival Generation” on Wednesday, August 27. The film, produced by the Christian Broadcasting Network, “showcases the remarkable resurgence of faith among the youth of America,” the Kennedy Center said in a statement.

“‘The Revival Generation,’ takes viewers inside a movement where students are being baptized in lakes, fountains, and football stadiums — capturing unforgettable worship moments, and testimonies from prominent Christian voices, including Dr. Ben Carson and Jennie Allen,” the Kennedy Center said.

The red carpet premiere “promises to be a historic gathering of worship, testimony, and celebration taking place in America’s cultural center – marking not just a film premiere, but a powerful milestone in a growing movement of faith across the country.”

“The Revival Generation” tells the story of young people who have rejected “everything the world has to offer” and sought meaning in religious faith. At the heart of the story is UniteUS, which describes itself as “a movement of college students united to lift the name of Jesus.” The group launched with a September 2023 event at Auburn University, where thousands of students gathered to pray.

Since then, UniteUS has held events on campuses across the country, drawing on and fueling Gen Z’s thirst for religious faith.

UniteUS founder Tonya Prewett says her journey began while she was mentoring students at Auburn — where her husband was an assistant basketball coach. Realizing that so many of the young women she spoke with battled anxiety and depression, she started a Bible study that eventually grew into the campus revival.

“As I see the UniteUS story shared in ‘The Revival Generation,’ I am reminded that prayer is powerful and great things can happen when we say ‘yes’ to God,” Prewett said. “Gen Z is experiencing spiritual revival like never before, and we should be expectant for the ways that God will continue to move among this generation.”

Prewett’s husband, Chad, left Auburn after 11 years to work full time in UniteUS’s ministry.

Thank you Auburn Family! pic.twitter.com/rjzHT65dDZ

— Chad Prewett (@coach_prewettAU) May 14, 2025

“To see a movement that started on college campuses now reaching the national cultural center of the U.S. is nothing short of miraculous,” Prewett’s daughter, Madison Prewett Troutt, added. “God is moving powerfully in this generation, and the Kennedy Center hosting the UniteUS story is a clear sign that what began in student hearts is now echoing across the nation.

Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell shared his excitement for the premiere, noting his own roots in a previous religious revival.

“In the early 1900s, my mom’s family was part of the Azusa Street revival in Los Angeles, which helped ignite the Jesus movement of the 1970s,” he explained, referencing African American minister William J. Seymour’s racially integrated, spontaneous worship event. “Today, we are on the cusp of another exciting revival in America and this film premiere at our nation’s cultural center highlights some of those beginnings.”

“The Revival Generation” premiere is the latest event to showcase the new direction the Kennedy Center has taken under Grenell and President Donald Trump. In June, the Kennedy Center hosted a sold-out premiere of “The King of Kings,” an animated account of the life of Jesus. Shortly after taking office, Trump criticized the Kennedy Center for hosting drag shows, and pledged to overhaul the venue’s offerings with more family-friendly productions.

“For far too long, stories of faith have been sidelined in America’s cultural institutions,” Kennedy Center Vice President of Public Relations Roma Daravi said. “Hosting the premiere of ‘The Revival Generation’ at the Kennedy Center sends a clear message that America’s cultural center is a place for everyone, and faith belongs in the national spotlight.”

CBN host Abigail Robertson, who produced the film, said she had no plans for “The Revival Generation” to premiere at as august a venue as the Kennedy Center.

“But God had plans far greater than ours,” she said.