This week the new documentary film by Wim Wenders, "Pope Francis: A Man of His Word" releases to theaters but it's not the only film featuring Pope Francis out there. In the new video-on-demand film, "Beyond the Sun," Pope Francis makes his acting debut in a scene where he speaks to a group of children on a journey to find God. I haven't seen the film yet but it looks like a sweet story about faith. How did the filmmaker get Pope Francis to appear in her film? As a psychiatrist, she had worked together with the Pope before he became Pope with victims of abuse in their native Argentina. In fact, all proceeds from the film will be going to Argentinian charities close to the Holy Father's heart which benefit at-risk children.
Written and directed by Graciela Rodriguez Gilio, BEYOND THE SUN, is a modern day tale of hope, faith and courage based on stories from the Bible. Featuring an awe-inspiring appearance by His Holiness Pope Francis, the film chronicles the adventures of four young friends in search of God. This uplifting story is intended to spiritually engage and encourage audiences of all ages to live their best life, make good choices and help others. Distributed by AMBI Distribution, BEYOND THE SUN, will be available for purchase across multiple platforms including iTunes, Amazon, and TUGG on May 15th.
About the Author
Sister Hosea Rupprecht is a member of the Daughters of St. Paul, a religious community dedicated to evangelization with the media. She holds a Master of Theological Studies degree from the University of St. Michael’s College in Toronto and an MA in Media Literacy from Webster University in St. Louis.
Sr. Hosea is director of the East Coast office of the Pauline Center for Media Studies, based in Staten Island, NY, and speaks on media literacy and faith to catechists, parents, youth, and young adults. Together with Father Chip Hines, she is the co-host of Searchlight, a Catholic movie review show on Catholic TV. Sr. Hosea is the author of How to Watch Movies with Kids: A Values-Based Strategy, released by Pauline Books & Media.
For the past 15 years, she has facilitated various film dialogues for both children and adults, as well as given presentations on integrating culture, faith and media.