Pope Francis to be Honored at Upcoming Cinema for Peace Gala

Posted on February 13, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Pope Francis is being receiving a special piece for bringing the peace…

The 87-year-old Argentine head of the Catholic Church, bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State will be honored at the upcoming Cinema for Peace gala in Berlin on February 19.

Pope Francis will be honored together with the film Freedom on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom by Evgeny Afineevsky, for his contributions to the freedom of Ukraine and humanitarian efforts to protect civilians and children.

Pope Francis, the first and only pontiff from the Americas, will be honored alongside Hillary Rodham Clinton and former UN chief Ban Ki-Moon.

The long-running gala run by the Cinema for Peace Foundation will be accompanied by the inaugural World Forum on the Future Of Democracy, Tech and Humankind.

The latter event will run from February 18 to 19 at the Allianz Forum next to the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin with the aim of promoting the renewal of democracy and freedom at a time when both are under threat.

The Cinema for Peace Foundation was created in 2008 as an international non-profit organization with the goal to foster change through film. Over the years it has worked with a host of stars including Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and George Clooney.

Pope Francis will be honored virtually by video-link, while Clinton and Ban will attend the February 19 gala in person.

They will be presented with their Cinema for Peace prizes by Sharon Stone, Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights lawyer Oleksandra Matviichuk, and Irish singer-song writer and political activist Bob Geldof.

Pope Francis Pleads for Peace in Ukraine Following Vatican Film Screening of Updated “Freedom on Fire” Documentary

Posted on February 26, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Pope Francis is pleading for peace…

The 86-year-old Argentine head of the Catholic Church has issued a renewed plea for peace in Ukraine after attending a screening at the Vatican of Evgeny Afineevsky’s documentary Freedom on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom.

The screening at the New Synod Hall took place on the one-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor, a war that has killed or wounded an estimated 180,000 Russian troops and 100,000 Ukrainian forces. Upwards of 30,000 civilians are estimated to have been killed.

The pope sat next to several Ukrainian women who appear in the film and when the lights came up he led the audience of about 250 people in prayer.

Speaking primarily in Italian, the pontiff asked the Lord to heal humanity from the river of hatred that feeds war: “When God made man, he said to take the earth, to make it grow, make it beautiful. The spirit of war is the opposite: destroy, destroy… Don’t let it grow, destroy everyone. Men, women, children, the elderly, everyone.”

Afineevsky earned an Oscar nomination for 2015’s Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom – the film about the Euromaidan Revolution of 2014 that later prompted Russia’s annexation of Crimea and fomenting of armed revolt in Eastern Ukraine.

On Friday night he presented a recut version of his latest documentary, updated with very recent footage from the conflict.

Addressing Pope Francis moments before the screening began, Afineevsky said, “Thank you for showing your solidarity with the Ukrainian people for the nine years of this war and the one-year of the major intervention of Russia and occupation of Ukraine… For me, it’s really important and symbolic to be with you and all of you [the audience] here on the 24^th of February, the day we are commemorating this tragic start of the war.”

The director told Deadline to his knowledge it’s the first time any pope has attended a film screening event on the Vatican grounds.

Seated next to the pontiff were Nataliia Nagorna, a Ukrainian journalist and war correspondent who is a primary focus of the documentary, and several other characters from the film, including Anna Zaitseva, a young mother whose son Sviatoslav was just a baby when the invasion happened. The toddler, now 16 months old, attended the screening with his mom.

Afterwards, Zaitseva, Nagorna and a select group of others held a private audience with the pope. Zaitseva gave Pope Francis an update on her husband, who is seen in the film enlisting to fight in the Ukrainian army after the invasion started. She said he is being held somewhere in a Russian prisoner of war camp. Nagorna presented him with a white-tufted portion of a cotton plant — cotton having become a symbol of resistance in Ukraine.

Anitta to Appear in the YouTube Originals Special “Dear Earth”

Posted on September 25, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Anitta is celebrating the planet…

The 28-year-old Brazilian singer, songwriter, actress and dancer will be featured in an upcoming YouTube Originals special titled Dear Earth.

Anitta will appear alongside BLACKPINK, Billie Eilish, Jaden Smith and more in the special premiering in October.

Dear Earth is part of YouTube Originals’ October sustainability-centered programming.

Former President Barack Obama, Pope Francis, Desmond Tutu and Google/Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai are among the global leaders presenting during the multi-hour celebration of the planet.

It will follow a similar format to YouTube Originals’ Dear Class of 2020 all-star commencement special during the pandemic last year, with keynote addresses, musical performances, special appearances and comedic shorts.

Dear Earth will “inspire and motivate audiences to create a better, healthier, existence for the planet through contributions from a wide range of global leaders, creators, celebrities and musicians,” Susanne Daniels, YouTube’s global head of original content, told reporters during the Summer TCA press tour.

Lil Dicky and GaTa as well as Tinashe will also be featured, as well as Marsai Martin, The Muppets, SpongeBob SquarePants and YouTube creators AsapSCIENCE, Brave Wilderness, Bretman Rock, Dream, Jack Harries, TheOdd1sOut, PhysicsGirl and ZHC.

Dear Earth will premiere on YouTube on October 23.

The special is produced by Done + Dusted, Strong Brew and Silverback Films.

Discovery+ to Begin Streaming Evgeny Afineevsky’s Pope Francis Documentary “Francesco” in March

Posted on January 28, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Pope Francis is making a new Discovery.

Discovery+ has acquired Evgeny Afineevsky’s documentary Francesco, an exploration of the 84-year-old leader of the Catholic Church’s ministry and moral leadership in a time of surging right-wing populist movements, a worldwide refugee crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Discovery+ will begin streaming Francesco globally on Sunday, March 28, the start of Holy Week, which leads up to Easter on April 4.

“It is an honor to host the global premiere of Francesco on Discovery+, spotlighting an intimate look at one of the world’s most beloved and influential leaders, Pope Francis,” said Lisa Holme, group SVP of content and commercial strategy at Discovery, in a statement. “We are thrilled to work with a powerful storyteller like Evgeny on this important project, which is emblematic of our ability to expand our documentary programming aperture on Discovery+ to serve subscribers around the world with a diverse and growing slate of originals.”

Afineevsky earned an Oscar nomination for his 2015 documentary Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom.

For Francesco, he spent three years traveling the world to highlight some of the issues Pope Francis has made it his mission to address, including the Rohingya genocide in Myanmar, the Syrian civil war, global warming and interfaith dialogue. The director spent one-on-one time not only with the pontiff but with his predecessor, retired Pope Benedict XVI.

“I am tremendously honored that Pope Francis allowed me to witness and create this inspirational monument dedicated to the most pressing issues facing humanity today,” Afineevsky said. “His commitment to people around the world will lead us out of this difficult historical moment and into a brighter future. He is a beacon of light in this world for many and strives every day to enlighten people on how to build a bridge to a better tomorrow. It is extremely exciting to partner with discovery+ to bring his story to people around the world on the same day.”

Francesco premiered at the Rome Film Festival last October, where it made worldwide headlines for a moment in the film in which the pontiff appeared to endorse civil unions for gay people, a break from Vatican policy. The documentary also delves into the pope’s handling of the sexual abuse scandal that has damaged the Catholic Church’s moral authority.

“I wanted to give a voice to the victims of sexual abuse,” Afineevsky told Deadline last fall, noting that Pope Francis’s response to the scandal evolved over time, from defender of some prelates accused of misconduct to becoming a supporter of victims. “I wanted to show how the [pope] can [make] mistakes. How the person can investigate them, admit the mistakes. And take not only responsibility, but immediately take actions.”

Francesco was produced by Afineevsky-Tolmor Production with the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.

Pope Francis to Receive COVID-19 Vaccination

Posted on January 9, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Pope Francis is next in line to get a COVID-19 vaccination…

The 84-year-old head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State has announced that the Vatican will begin COVID-19 vaccinations next week and that he’ll receive the shot. As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the U.S., these are some of the small but essential ways dr. fauci and vitamin d says we need to utilize in order to have a strong immune system.

The pontiff made the comments during an interview with Italy’s Canale 5 channel, set to air on Sunday night.

“It is an ethical duty to take the vaccine, here in the Vatican we will start next week, I am also in line to take it,” he said, according to a news anchor for the channel in a preview of the interview, which was released Saturday.

The full interview, which took place in the Santa Marta residence in the Vatican, will air on Sunday at 2.40 p.m. ET (8.40 p.m. local time), according to a press release.

In December, the Vatican deemed that it was morally acceptable to be vaccinated against COVID-19, after some anti-abortion groups raised concerns about how the vaccines were manufactured.

Some groups had suggested the coronavirus vaccines were made using cells from aborted fetuses. The cells are actually engineered and grown in labs from tissue acquired many decades ago, and are not made directly from aborted fetuses.

“It is morally acceptable to receive COVID-19 vaccines that have used cell lines from aborted fetuses in their research and production process,” the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said in a note approved by Francis.

The statement was issued and signed by the head of the Congregation in response to several requests for guidelines regarding the use of the vaccine.

The pontiff used his recent Christmas message to say that coronavirus vaccines must be available for all, and pleaded with states to cooperate in the race to emerge from the pandemic.

Netflix Commissions Four-Part Documentary Based on Pope Francis’ Book “Sharing The Wisdom of Time”

Posted on December 18, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Pope Francis is sharing his time…

Netflix has commissioned a four-part documentary series based on Sharing The Wisdom of Time, the book written by the 84-year-old head of the Catholic Church.

The show comes from Simona Ercolani and production company Stand By Me, partner of Asacha Media Group. It will be released in 2021.

The series will see woman and men aged over 70 from around the world share their stories with young filmmakers under the age of 30 who are from the same country. The elders represent various ethnicities, socio-economic backgrounds and religions. It will also feature an exclusive interview with Pope Francis who will offer a unique point of view.

The book was edited Father Antonio Spadaro and first published by Loyola Press in the United States.

Pope Francis Endorses Same-Sex Civil Unions for First Time as Pontiff

Posted on October 21, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Pope Francis is speaking out about same-sex relationships…

The 83-year-old pontiff, the sovereign of the Vatican City State, has publicly supported same-sex civil unions for the first time while in office, declaring that “homosexual people have the right to be in a family.”

His comments were made in a documentary, Francesco, which premiered at the Rome Film Fest this week.

Directed by Russian filmmaker Evgeny Afineevsky, the feature documentary offers an intricate look into the beliefs of the leader of the Catholic Church, during which the Pope covers topics including the environment, poverty and racial inequality, discussing how the human race can prepare for a better future.

“Homosexual people have the right to be in a family. They are children of God. You can’t kick someone out of a family, nor make their life miserable for this. What we have to have is a civil union law; that way they are legally covered,” the Pope has been quoted as saying in the film by numerous outlets including AP.

He also said that he “stood up for” legal protections for the rights of same-sex couples in his previous role as archbishop of Buenos Aires. During that time, he publicly supported civil unions for gay couples, though he has also been quoted in the past as calling heterosexual marriages “an anthropological regression”.

The film also features Carlos Cruz, a Chilean survivor of sexual abuse at the hands of the clergy, who has met the Pope on several occasions and tells his story in the doc.

Director Afineevsky spoke to media ahead of the film’s premiere to discuss gaining access to the Pope. He said the two became so close that he showed Francis the film on his iPad ahead of the premiere.

“Listen, when you are in the Vatican, the only way to achieve something is to break the rule and then to say, ‘I’m sorry,’” he told AP today.

Pope Francis Condemns the Death of George Floyd

Posted on June 3, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Pope Francis is speaking out against racism…

During a speech from the Vatican on Wednesday, the 83-year-old Argentine pontiff and leader of the Catholic Church, whose full name is Jorge Mario Bergoglio, condemned the death of George Floyd.

He directly addressed “brothers and sisters in the United States,” saying he has “witnessed with great concern the disturbing social unrest in your nation in these past days,” following the officer-involved death of Floyd, an unarmed black man in Minnesota.

“My friends, we cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life,” he said. “At the same time, we have to recognize that the violence of recent nights is self-destructive and self-defeating.”

Floyd died in policy custody last week after a white officer knelt on his neck, sparking protests across the United States – most of them peaceful. Some demonstrations have turned violent and looting has been seen in cities nationwide.

The Pope said nothing is gained by violence and much is lost.

He also lead a prayer for Floyd “and of all those others who have lost their lives as a result of the sin of racism.”

“Let us pray for the consolation of their grieving families and friends and let us implore the national reconciliation and peace for which we yearn. May Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of America, intercede for all those who work for peace and justice in your land and throughout the world. May God bless all of you and your families,” he prayed.

We cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form. At the same time, we have to recognize that violence is self-destructive and self-defeating. Nothing is gained by violence and so much is lost. Let us pray for reconciliation and peace.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) June 3, 2020

Lionel Messi Makes YouGov’s List of the World’s Most Admired Men

Posted on July 21, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

The world looks up to Lionel Messi…

YouGov has released its annual study detailing which public figures the public looks up to, and the 32-year-old Argentine professional footballer has made the list.

Messi, a five-time Ballon d’Or awards winner who is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, comes in at No. 9 on YouGov’s World’s Most Admiredlist of men.

But Messi isn’t the only Latino to make the cut…

Pope Francis comes in at No. 15 on YouGov’s global list of the World’s Most Admired men.

But that’s not all. The 82-year-old Argentine pontiff, the head of the Catholic Churchand sovereign of the Vatican CityState, also appears on the list of America’s Most Admiredlist of men, coming in at No. 9.

He’s actually the only Latino in the Top 10 on the list America’s Most Admired men orwomen.

This year the study expanded to cover the views of people in 41 countries – the most ever – with more than 42,000 people being interviewed to compile the list.

Fernando Meirelles to Direct the Pope Francis-Themed Film “The Pope”

Posted on September 6, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Fernando Meirelles is ready to take you to (Catholic) church…

The 61-year-old Brazilian filmmaker is set to direct Netflix’s feature film The Pope, starring Jonathan Pryce as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis.

Anthony Hopkins is in talks to play his predecessor Pope Benedict.

Meirelles, best known for helming City of God, will direct the film from a script

by Anthony McCarten, who wrote The Theory of Everything about Stephen Hawking. McCarten adapted his stage play.

The film tells the story of Pope Benedict’s election, and his subsequent resignation from the papacy. That opened the door for Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the Argentinian Cardinal who became the first Jesuit pope, the first from the Americas and the first Pope from outside Europe since the 8th Century.

The drama conveys his reluctance to take the top post in 2013. His humility and devotion to the poor has made him a galvanizing force for tolerance and change.

Filming will begin November in Argentina.

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