Kuangchi Program Service in Taiwan premiered its feature-length documentary Blueprint for a Bridge-Builder: Fr Jerry Martinson and the Making of a Media Missionary on 4 December at Taipei’s Eslite Cinema. The screening took place two days after what would have been Fr Jerry’s 83rd birthday and a few weeks ahead of the documentary’s first Taiwan television broadcast on Christmas Day.
Several months earlier, the documentary had been shown to enthusiastic audiences at the campus theatre of Fr Jerry’s alma mater high school in San Diego, California.
As the Taipei Eslite theatre lights dimmed, hundreds of Fr Jerry’s friends and admirers watched the familiar image of their “Uncle Jerry” once again appear on the screen. The film was greeted with both laughter, applause, and tears in remembrance of a priest many people from all walks of life had considered their best friend before his untimely death from heart disease eight years ago.
The documentary offers an intimate portrait of a Jesuit priest who devoted over 50 years of his life to Taiwan. Through his artful use of media, Fr Jerry transcended culture, language, and generations, becoming a trusted household figure while using communication to educate, advocate, and inspire. Taking over six years to complete, and despite delays caused by the Covid pandemic, the premiere also acknowledged benefactors whose support made the film possible.
Besides the Jesuits in attendance, Hei Youlong, founder of Carnegie Training Taiwan and former vice-director of Kuangchi, was present, along with well-known figures from Taiwan’s film and television industry, including television personalities Chang Xiaoyan and Shen Chunhua.
Fr Jerry Martinson joined the Society of Jesus in 1960, was ordained in 1973, and pronounced his Final Vows in 1977. He passed away on 31 May 2017—just one day before Taiwan’s Ministry of the Interior was to grant him honorary citizenship in the Republic of China. He had arrived in Taiwan from the United States in 1967 and remained for more than 50 years. As a priest, presenter, educator, and performer, he became a pioneer in religious communication and media education. In addition to his work in Taiwan, he helped establish media training programmes throughout Asia, building bridges of understanding through cross-cultural exchange.
Initially hesitant when assigned to media work at Kuangchi Program Service in 1974, Fr Jerry soon discovered the transformative power of mass communication. He went on to create socially engaged programs featuring people experiencing homelessness and marginalisation, such as Asian Exile, highlighting migrant workers, and Beyond the Killing Fields, filmed at the Thai–Myanmar border. The latter won Best Documentary at the 23rd Golden Horse Awards in Taipei and raised awareness of the refugee crises in the region.
Blueprint for a Bridge-Builder is especially noteworthy for its original use of Fr Jerry‘s own voice, alongside rare archival footage, to narrate his life of service. The title reflects both his mission—building bridges through media—and the spiritual foundations that shaped his vocation as a “media missionary” in Taiwan.
After the screening, several guests shared reflections. Hei Youlong recalled Fr Jerry’s generosity in encouraging him to pursue his own mission for the good of society. Fr Jerry’s brother, Fr Barry, spoke of how his brother’s joy flowed from a deep personal relationship with Christ, later captured in a book of his retreat journals entitled Joy in Solitude. Chang Xiaoyan and Shen Chunhua remembered his warmth and sense of humour, expressing gratitude for his lifelong dedication to Taiwan and to making faith accessible to ordinary people.
The producer of Blueprint for a Bridge-Builder, Chiu Yongmei, concluded, “I no longer see this documentary as just a film—it feels like a person. I wanted it to reflect Fr Jerry himself: gentle, understanding, and full of love.”
(This article is adapted from an article originally published in Chinese on the Jesuit Chinese Province website.)
