Palm Springs producer Howard Farling talks about the provocative new film, the local connection — and what might happen if Jesus returned to a world of social media, skepticism and spectacle.

What if Jesus Christ returned today?

Not 2,000 years ago. Today.

Would we recognize him? Would we believe him? Would religious leaders embrace him — or question him? Would skeptics dismiss him?

And perhaps most provocatively: would some of the people who most loudly proclaim their Christianity reject the very man they claim to follow?

Those are among the questions lurking beneath “The Jesus Tapes,” a provocative new film that imagines Jesus appearing in contemporary America.

And before you assume this is a conventional biblical movie, think again.

The filmmakers have described their unusual concept as something akin to “The Blair Witch Project” meets “The Passion of the Christ” — using a found-footage approach to blur the line between documentary, fiction, faith and doubt.

I sat down with Palm Springs resident and producer Howard Farling to talk about the film, its nearly half-century journey to the screen and why the Coachella Valley has an especially interesting connection to its creation.

WATCH: MY INTERVIEW WITH ‘THE JESUS TAPES’ PRODUCER HOWARD FARLING

Manny the Movie Guy interviews Palm Springs resident and “The Jesus Tapes” producer Howard Farling.

Jesus Returns. Then He Becomes Content.

One of the ideas I found most fascinating about “The Jesus Tapes” is what happens when an ancient spiritual figure collides with our modern media machine.

Because let’s face it: if Jesus really appeared today, somebody would have a phone pointed at him within seconds.

There would be videos. Livestreams. Reaction videos. Hashtags. Debunkers. Believers. Influencers. Religious leaders. Cable-news panels.

And probably memes.

So I asked Farling something I’ve wondered ever since watching the film:

Would Jesus survive social media?

Would he have an Instagram account? Would he be on TikTok?

Or would he take one look at all of us and throw the phone away?

It’s funny — until you realize how serious the question actually is.

Because “The Jesus Tapes” isn’t merely asking what Jesus would think of our world.

It’s asking what our world would do to Jesus.

But Would Christians Believe Him?

And that’s where things can get uncomfortable.

The film presents audiences with a mysterious man claiming to be Jesus while believers, skeptics, religious figures and the media attempt to determine whether they’re witnessing the impossible — or an elaborate fraud.

But imagine that scenario outside the movie.

If Jesus returned preaching compassion, forgiveness, humility, sacrifice and love for one’s neighbor, would modern Christians universally embrace him?

Or would some find his message inconvenient?

That’s one of the questions I put to Farling during our conversation.

Because perhaps the most provocative question surrounding “The Jesus Tapes” isn’t:

“Is this man really Jesus?”

Maybe it’s:

“What if he is — and we don’t like what he has to say?”

Palm Springs Has a Surprising Connection

There’s also a hometown story behind the movie.

Farling is a Palm Springs resident, and other people from the Palm Springs area helped finance the production. Palm Springs was also selected as one of the film’s initial theatrical markets.

That gave me another question.

Was Palm Springs chosen because of its financial connection to the production?

Or did the filmmakers see something about this community that made it particularly interesting for a movie likely to provoke very different reactions from believers, skeptics and everyone in between?

We get into that during the interview — along with the extraordinary amount of time it took for “The Jesus Tapes” to finally reach movie screens.

The idea dates all the way back to 1977.

Yes.

1977.

I have projects I’ve been trying to finish for two years and I’m already exhausted.

So…Who Is Jesus?

There’s another mystery surrounding the movie that the filmmakers have deliberately preserved:

the identity of the actor playing Jesus.

Naturally, I’m a journalist.

I had to try.

But the secrecy raises an interesting creative question. By removing a recognizable actor — and all the celebrity baggage that comes with one — the filmmakers want audiences concentrating on the figure before them.

Do we believe this man because of what he looks like?

Because of what he says?

Because other people believe him?

Or do we refuse to believe him because accepting the possibility would force us to confront something about ourselves?

And that’s ultimately why “The Jesus Tapes” interests me.

You don’t necessarily have to believe its premise.

You don’t have to be religious.

You don’t even have to believe in Jesus.

But the movie poses a question that believers and nonbelievers alike can wrestle with:

If Jesus really walked among us today, would we recognize him?

Or would we be too busy filming him?

Watch my full conversation with Howard Farling, producer of “The Jesus Tapes,” above.

— Manny the Movie Guy