It's actually pretty funny that on the weekend Pope Francis dies, the number one movie at the box office was Ryan Coogler's Sinners. What's maybe funniest is that I think it's a movie that actually thrives in what the late Pope believed about movies, that they're a direct expression of the artist and that they can stir something important inside all of us. Let me explain... In 2023, the Pope addressed members of Fondazione Ente dello Spettacolo, an Italian film foundation.His words should echo through all filmmakers' hearts. Pope Francis said, “Dear friends, the world troubled by war and so many evils needs signs, works that inspire wonder and that reveal the wondrousness of God who never ceases to love his creatures and to be amazed by their beauty,” and the pontiff continued, “In an increasingly artificial world, where man has surrounded himself with the works of his own hands, the great risk is to lose a sense of wonder. I share this reflection with you, entrusting you with the task to reawaken wonder.”Look, I went to 12 years of Catholic School, so the Pope telling me to work harder on movies that make people feel a wonder for the world is a pretty stirring call to action, even if I'm not practicing today. The act of reawakening wonder should be at the heart of every story we tell. As another great Pope of cinema, Roger Ebert, once said, cinema is an empathy machine. It has the unique power of...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Yesterday