“Let Hope Rise” is a film of the journey of the Australian band Hillsong United as they travel the world on tour. It was shot in five different continents while following many of the band’s sold-out performances and premiered on September 16th, 2016. While Michael Weaver of MediaWeaver Entertainment and Jonathan Bock of Grace Hill Media produced the film, Michael John Warren, who is known for directing Jay-Z’s “Fade to Black,” directed the film. This is not just a documentary of the band and their travels, but an inside scoop of their personal lives and motivations. The film depicts a realistic image of what it’s like to experience their life-changing concerts. It gives viewers the urge to stand up and start singing in the theatre as if they were attending one of the Hillsong concerts.

The film not only covers multiple of the band’s sold out concerts, but a bit of background into the band members’ families and personal lives. As viewers, we see the humility of the band first hand and get a glimpse of the inside of their home life. Band member Jad Gilies says in the movie, “We travel a lot and my wife pays for it but she believes in it as much as we do.” Instead of complaining about the small amount of money they make, they constantly remind themselves and their families of why they do what they do. Joel Houston, one of the lead band members states, “If we tried to make it about ourselves we would trip over fast because we’re not that good.” With selflessness, they repeatedly declare that they are in it to encourage people with their music and bring them closer to God.  

In the beginning, the documentary had a bit of a rough start. The original release date was April 2015, but it was pulled by Warner Bros. Details of why it was pulled are incredibly vague, but what matters is that ‘Let Hope Rise’ finally made its debut in September of 2016 and was a huge success.

The making of the Hillsong United band began in the church youth group. The Hillsong Church started with less than 50 members, and now it has grown into one of the biggest “megachurches” in the world. With their home church being in Sydney, Australia, they have multiple campuses in the United States as well. Overall, Hillsong Church has sold 16 million albums in 60 different languages and 30 million joyful voices singing their songs in unity every Sunday.

It’s a given that the Hillsong United band continues to succeed with being such a phenomenon, but their definition of success is a bit different from other bands.  Their number one mission for their fame and foundation of their music is to make Jesus known. Hillsong doesn’t define their travels as being on tour, but rather a mission field. As they travel to different countries singing, they make it their utmost priority to visit and provide fellowship with the people in the community. From a youth group band to a global sensation, Hillsong United is the definition of victory and humility.
Click here, for a glimpse of the band’s fantastic documentary.