A modern classroom. An ancient witness. A Genesis Apologetics film, “Noah Returns: Questions After the Flood,” shot in Cedarville University’s DeVries Theatre, imagines what it might look like if Noah could answer students’ toughest questions today. The movie’s trailer was released on Tuesday, Feb. 10. (Watch it below)
“Noah Returns” Trailer Release and 2026 Preview Screening
The trailer release is the first public look at the feature-length film, which will have a sneak preview screening Feb. 28 during the 2026 Genesis Apologetics Conference at William Jessup University in Rocklin, California. Genesis Apologetics expects the full film to be released in late 2026, with a possible theatrical run.
Though the project is just now reaching audiences, much of it took shape during a three-day shoot on Cedarville’s campus. Genesis Apologetics filmed Dec. 15-18 in the DeVries Theatre, with 21 Cedarville students and one professor appearing on screen.
The partnership grew out of shared convictions. Cedarville and Genesis Apologetics both emphasize the authority of Scripture and a literal reading of Genesis, commitments that shaped the collaboration and the film’s apologetics focus.
Feature-Length Faith Film Blends Classroom Dialogue and Flood Reenactments
The film’s premise places apologetics inside a story rather than a lecture: A college class interviews Noah, pressing into questions skeptics often raise about the flood account. Those classroom scenes are intermingled with high-energy recreations of biblical history, including the flood, to show key moments as the dialogue unfolds.
Genesis Apologetics, a creation science ministry, focuses on equipping students and families with resources defending a biblical worldview, particularly the early chapters of Genesis.
Director Logan Kiesewetter said the concept began with a simple prompt to the ministry’s audience: If Noah were here, what would you ask him? Those responses helped shape the questions that drive the classroom scenes, and the goal, he said, was to deliver content in a way viewers can feel as well as follow.
Director Logan Kiesewetter on Storytelling and Apologetics
Kiesewetter said the Cedarville shoot exceeded expectations, both in setting and performance. The DeVries Theatre offered the atmosphere the production team wanted, and the students, he said, brought the script to life with a level of emotion that surprised the crew.
“There were times we literally had chills,” said Kiesewetter, recalling moments when scenes landed with unexpected weight. He said the production team wanted the film to be compelling and relatable — not simply a presentation of information — and the student cast helped make that possible.
Cedarville’s Andrew Harris, a professor of communication at Cedarville who appears in the film, said narrative storytelling can reach viewers in ways direct arguments sometimes cannot.
“While we like to think that simply making a strong argument will persuade others to see things our way, the truth of the matter is that even the best arguments fail to convince someone who is ideologically biased against our viewpoints,” said Harris. “Narrative film has the ability to skirt around that resistance.”
Cedarville Students Gain On-Camera Experience in Feature Film
For students, the production doubled as a professional learning experience. Joshua Walenda, a junior theatre major from Stuttgart, Germany, who portrays one of the film’s main skeptics, said the set introduced him to the pace and precision of on-camera work.
“The experience was absolutely amazing,” said Walenda. “As a first-timer when it comes to filming, it was a great introduction to how that world operates as well as to how biblical stories could be shown to the public in different forms.”
Walenda said the process stretched him beyond stage performance and helped him think ahead to life after graduation.
“It showed me a side of performance that I have always been interested in but never had the opportunity to really dip my feet into,” he said. “Because I have focused so much on stage acting, taking part of this film was a refresher to how different artistic mediums work, what my place in it will be outside of college, and how to prepare myself for that.”
With the trailer now public and the Feb. 28 preview ahead, the film is moving from a campus set to a wider audience — and giving viewers a story-driven entry point into questions Genesis Apologetics hopes families and students will keep asking long after the credits roll.
About Cedarville University
Cedarville University, an evangelical Christian institution in southwest Ohio, offers undergraduate and graduate residential and online programs across arts, sciences and professional fields. With 7,265 students, it is among Ohio's largest private universities and is ranked among the nation’s top five evangelical universities in the Wall Street Journal’s 2026 Best Colleges in the U.S. Cedarville is also known for its vibrant Christian community, challenging academics and high graduation and retention rates. Learn more at cedarville.edu.
