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| Pope Francis to make movie debut playing himself in children's gospel film | Pope Francis to make movie debut playing himself in children's gospel film |
| (7 months later) | |
| Pope Francis, the head of the global Catholic church, is to be the first pope to appear in a film. The pontiff will play himself in Beyond the Sun, an Italian-made family movie based on the gospels, which was inspired by the Pope’s call for film-makers to cater for children when thinking about how Jesus’s message should be communicated through cinema. | Pope Francis, the head of the global Catholic church, is to be the first pope to appear in a film. The pontiff will play himself in Beyond the Sun, an Italian-made family movie based on the gospels, which was inspired by the Pope’s call for film-makers to cater for children when thinking about how Jesus’s message should be communicated through cinema. |
| All profits from the film are to be donated to two Argentinian charities that help at-risk children and young adults. Shooting is due to begin imminently in Italy. | All profits from the film are to be donated to two Argentinian charities that help at-risk children and young adults. Shooting is due to begin imminently in Italy. |
| Andrea Iervolino, co-founder of AMBI Pictures, who will fund and distribute the film, said: | Andrea Iervolino, co-founder of AMBI Pictures, who will fund and distribute the film, said: |
| Our excitement and gratitude toward His Holiness, Pope Francis, participating in this film is beyond words. This is not just a movie for us, it’s a message, and who better to have on your side to deliver an important societal and spiritual message than the Pope? | Our excitement and gratitude toward His Holiness, Pope Francis, participating in this film is beyond words. This is not just a movie for us, it’s a message, and who better to have on your side to deliver an important societal and spiritual message than the Pope? |
| However, there are conflicting reports about the scale of Pope Francis’s involvement in the project. Initial indications suggested he would figure significantly through the movie; information on AMBI’s site mentions only “an epilogue from Pope Francis telling children how and where to find Jesus”. | However, there are conflicting reports about the scale of Pope Francis’s involvement in the project. Initial indications suggested he would figure significantly through the movie; information on AMBI’s site mentions only “an epilogue from Pope Francis telling children how and where to find Jesus”. |
| A Vatican spokesman added on Monday: “The pope is not an actor.” | A Vatican spokesman added on Monday: “The pope is not an actor.” |
| Pope Francis’s cinephilia – his favourite films are Rome, Open City, Babette’s Feast and La Strada – has won him artistic as well as spiritual credibility in the industry, with many film-makers seeking his approval, particularly if their movie carries Christian content. | Pope Francis’s cinephilia – his favourite films are Rome, Open City, Babette’s Feast and La Strada – has won him artistic as well as spiritual credibility in the industry, with many film-makers seeking his approval, particularly if their movie carries Christian content. |
| In 2012, Steve Coogan hosted a special screening of Philomena, about an Irish woman whose son was sold by nuns, at the Vatican; in January 2015, Angelina Jolie presented her film Unbroken to the pope. Last week, Leonardo DiCaprio met the pope – but to discuss climate change, rather than screen him new movie The Revenant. | In 2012, Steve Coogan hosted a special screening of Philomena, about an Irish woman whose son was sold by nuns, at the Vatican; in January 2015, Angelina Jolie presented her film Unbroken to the pope. Last week, Leonardo DiCaprio met the pope – but to discuss climate change, rather than screen him new movie The Revenant. |