Religious studies professor Jodi Magness said she still remembers the day she found shell fossils at Girl Scout camp.
Now, students can find her on the big screen.
Magness stars as the lead archaeologist in the IMAX movie “Jerusalem.”
The IMAX film follows three young women around the city as they explain important areas based on their beliefs. The movie delves into the perspectives of a Muslim woman, a Jewish woman and Christian woman.
Producers contacted Magness, a professor who has been teaching courses on early Judaism at UNC since 2002, because of her expertise in a variety of archaeological periods.
Studying Jerusalem, the Dead Sea Scrolls, ancient synagogues and pottery, Magness has continued her love of all things historical. She remembers wanting to be an archaeologist since she was young.
“When I was 12, I had a very good history teacher, and we studied ancient Greece, and I fell in love with it,” Magness said.
With this continuing passion for the ancient, Magness helped “Jerusalem” Director Daniel Ferguson and Producers Taran Davies and George Duffield with the film.
“She single-handedly kept the production team in line,” Davies said.