Martin Scorsese has made a documentary with the late Pope Francis that will feature conversations between the pontiff and Scorsese, including what the film-makers say was the pope’s final in-depth on-camera interview.
Aldeas – A New Story will detail the work of Scholas Occurrentes, a non-profit, international organisation founded by the pope in 2013 to promote what it termed “Culture of Encounter” among youth.
Part of that organisation’s work has included film-making, under the Aldeas initiative. The documentary will show young people in Indonesia, Gambia and Italy taking part in the program and making short films.
Aldeas Scholas Film and Scorsese’s Sikelia Productions, which announced the film on Wednesday, said the documentary would be “a testament to the enduring belief that creativity is not only a means of expression but a path to hope and transformation”.
Before his death,Pope Franciscalled Aldeas “an extremely poetic and very constructive project because it goes to the roots of what human life is, human sociability, human conflicts ... the essence of a life’s journey”.
No release date was announced for the film.
Scorsese said: “Now, more than ever, we need to talk to each other, listen to one another cross-culturally. One of the best ways to accomplish this is by sharing the stories of who we are, reflected from our personal lives and experiences.
“It helps us understand and value how each of us sees the world. It was important to Pope Francis for people across the globe to exchange ideas with respect while also preserving their cultural identity, and cinema is the best medium to do that.”
Scorsese met numerous times with Pope Francis over the years, and their conversations sometimes informed work undertaken by the 82-year-old film-maker of The Last Temptation of Christ and Silence.
When Francis died on 21 April, Scorsese remembered him as“in every way, a remarkable human being”.
“He acknowledged his own failings,” he said. “He radiated wisdom. He radiated goodness. He had an ironclad commitment to the good.
“He knew in his soul that ignorance was a terrible plague on humanity. So he never stopped learning. And he never stopped enlightening. And, he embraced, preached and practiced forgiveness. Universal and constant forgiveness.”
He added: “The loss for me runs deep – I was lucky enough to know him, and I will miss his presence and his warmth. The loss for the world is immense. But he left a light behind, and it can never be extinguished.”
Aconclave to elect a new popeis scheduled to begin on 7 May.
Associated Press contributed to this report