Pope Francis Beyond the Sun

Beyond the Sun, Film Starring Pope Francis Screening at the Vatican

Pope Francis Beyond the Sun
Republic of Korea is licensed under CC BY 2.0
The Pontiff gets six minutes of screen time in the film Beyond the Sun.

Pope Francis played himself in his screen debut in the film Beyond the Sun.[/tweetit] It is a narrative feature film of an evangelical story concerning children looking for God. It is expected the Pontiff will attend the screening. A copy of Beyond the Sun has already been dispatched to his office. The film will get its maiden official screening during the third week of September. It will be shown at the Vatican, much before its Christmas release. Profits generated from the film will be sent to charities doing work for disadvantaged Argentinian children. Pope Francis is from Argentina.

Beyond the Sun Film Starring Pope Francis Screening at the Vatican[/tweetthis]

Pope Francis can be seen on the screen for a total of six minutes. The footage was taken in one extended shot. It was an unscripted one, with the pope doing his own speech. His appearance is distributed between two appearances: one in the middle of the film, and the rest at the end. The film Beyond the Sun portrays the pontiff as a man who is like any other person. In one scene, he appears with children, telling them to read the gospels and talk to Jesus. He tells them to think of the gospels as a simple book and not a large, complex one. The pope told the children to read them at their own pace. He said that they should be with them who can explain what they do not understand.

Pope Francis also has advice for adults. He suggested that they should always carry a gospel with them at all times. The gospel should be small so that it can fit into the pocket. For women, the gospel should be sized so that they fit inside a purse. Adults could read the gospel when they have a chance, like while commuting by public transport or while waiting for the doctor. For those with a restive mind, they could read the gospel at home whenever they feel like it.

The list of producers of Beyond the Sun includes the Hollywood filmmaker of Italian descent, Andrea Iervolino. In his interview with the media, he told that for devout Catholics, including himself, the pope is regarded as “God on Earth.”. He found that filming the pope can be an overwhelming experience. To Iervolino, this film was unlike any other, even though he makes about ten films every year with famous movie stars. The presence of the pope is something special.

Resources

Follow the Conversation on Twitter