Kateri – Native American Saint’s Story Scores at Catholic Film Festival

By Alison Lesley --
09 Jul 2016 --

Kateri wins the Catholic Film Festival’s Capax Dei Foundation Award.

Written and directed by James C. Kelty, Kateri is a TV movie about Saint Kateri Tekakwitha. It won the 2016 Capax Dei Foundation Award at the 7th annual International Catholic Film Festival Mirabile Dictus that was held last week in Rome, Italy. Kelty said that the award is a recognition of his crew's and his hard work. He dedicated the award to all the people who worked hard on the film.

‘Kateri’ – Native American Saint’s Story Scores at Catholic Film Festival[/tweetthis]

The International Catholic Film Festival Mirabile Dictus or International Catholic Film Festival, in English, commonly known as the Catholic Film Festival, is sponsored by the Pontifical Council culture of the Vatican. The festival was founded by Liana Marabini, film director, producer and writer. She is also the founder of the Capax Dei Foundation, an international organization that supports organizations and individuals engaged in the creation and perpetuation of sacred arts.

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha is a Roman Catholic saint. She was a Mohawk woman, born in the village of Ossernenon. Baptized as Catherine, she converted to Roman Catholicism at the age of 19, and adopted the name Kateri, in honor of Saint Catherine of Siena. She converted against the wishes of her clan. Tekakwitha died at the age of 24, until then, she served at the Jesuit mission village of Kahnawake (Canada). According to the witnesses present at the time of her death, the scars on her face formed as a result of smallpox that she had contracted when she was a child, vanished, and her face appeared beautiful and radiant. Tekakwitha was beatified in 1980 by Pope John Paul II and was canonized in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI. Saint Kateri Tekakwitha is known for her healing powers.

Kateri is produced by the EWTN Global Catholic Network. The project was started in 2013. It took two years to make the movie. The project included a lot of research, location scouting, writing, filming and post-production. The film was officially aired in 2015.

According to Kelty, even though Kateri Tekakwitha lived only for 24 years, the impact of her life on the people that she lived with, and served, has been such that she was already a legend by the time she died. Kateri Tekakwitha was a woman of great power and force. Her life is a beautiful illustration of the work done by the early Catholic Church in North America.

Marabini said that she was really impressed with the script of Kateri. The film has high technical quality. The locations in the film are beautiful, and the performance of the actors in the film are exceptional.

According to Marabini, the aim of the film festival is to better the lives of people through evangelization. Kateri was given the award for its reflection on evangelization. The movie has effectively portrayed the need of beauty in the faith. “Mirabile Dictus” is an expression from the Bible. It means “beautiful to say.”

Kelty is hoping that his film would inspire young women through Saint Kateri Tekakwitha's universal journey of adversity and heroism.

Film festival "Mirabile Dictu" awards #Kateri – #film by @EWTN, Spanish #Poveda & Corean The Confession; my SVK post https://t.co/wgWlogM0pP
— PetrikBo (@PetrikBohumil) June 27, 2016