The pro-life movie October Baby is out now (for over a week) and I am finally getting around to blogging about it. (Thanks to all those who emailed me.) It is about a woman who survived an abortion attempt and was raised by her adopting parents and her journey to find her biological mother and to forgive after she learned the facts of her early life. It was produced by Samuel Goldwyn Co. a division of MGM and has received some favorable commments even from secular critics like this from LA Times Gary Goldstein:
“October Baby,” a film whose poignancy is hard to deny whatever side of the abortion debate you fall on.
Further, it has performed well at the boxoffice, coming in (more…)
Yes, we did win the ‘Silver Fish Award’ at the Vatican’s International Catholic Film Festival in the categories of Best Film, and Best Actor/Actress. This is for the feature length motion picture titled “Duns Scoto” on the life of Bl. John Duns Scotus that the FI’s in Italy produced in conjunction with TVCO. Not bad for our first feature length video. Well done Fr. Alfonso Bruno and team! Deo Gratias!
Here is the English trailer from TVCO:
You can see more on this film Duns Scoto with these AirMaria articles:
Face of Pro-Life #135 – Gabrielle Velasquez discussing her new film (30min) >>> Play
Ave Maria!
Gabrielle Velasquez a budding Indy film producer discusses her new film “Our Extra Special Missionary” that she made to promote the pro-life cause, specifically regarding her sister Christina who has Down Syndrome and how she and her mother Leticia have found such joy in giving God’s love to her. She has submitted this to a Catholic film contest called Goodness Reigns: Share the Story which is:
… an endeavor to call upon the faithful, teens and young adults in particular, in the spirit of good-natured competition to use the current medium of choice–technology–to produce short films depicting the history, teachings, sacramental life and present-day missionary spirit of the Catholic Church.
Our recently completed feature length film on the life of Bl. John Duns Scotus has been selected as the official movie of the upcoming World Youth Day in Madrid Aug 16-21 2011. Our Italian friars just watched the whole film for the first time as an institute on Sunday, Dec 26. Below is a special poster we made for the occasion complete with the Madrid WYD (JMJ) logo. A rough trailer can be seen here. The DVD should be available with English subtitles in early 2011. We will keep you posted.
The translation of the poster is as follows (more…)
Fi News #73 – Duns Scoto, trailer of the dramatic film of the life of Bl. John Duns Scotus (14min) >>> Play
Ave Maria!
As part of our grand finale for our Scotus Month we have a repost of the trailer for the feature length film we recently completed on the life of Bl. John Duns Scotus. It is in Italian but there should be a DVD available in the US with English subtitles early 2011.
The FIs in Italy have finished their first trailer for the feature length film Duns Scoto on the life of Blessed John Duns Scotus that we mentioned in an earlier post. It is more of a behind-the-scenes view of the making of the movie. All the actual footage of the movie is raw with the time stamp running. But it powerfully shows the magnitude of the project and how beautiful and dramatic the finished edition will be. Yes, it is in Italian. We hope to get an English subtitled version out soon. Enjoy!
Fi News #73 – Duns Scoto, trailer of the dramatic film of the life of Bl. John Duns Scotus (14min) >>> Play
Ave Maria!
The FIs in Italy have finished their first trailer for the feature length film Duns Scoto on the life of Blessed John Duns Scotus that we mentioned in an earlier post. It is more of a behind-the-scenes view of the making of the movie. All the actual footage of the movie is raw with the time stamp running. But it powerfully shows the magnitude of the project and how beautiful and dramatic the finished edition will be. Yes, it is in Italian. We hope to get an English subtitled version out soon. Enjoy!
The Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate are producing a feature length dramatic film on the life of Blessed John Duns Scotus, the Franciscan who gave the theological explanation for the Immaculate Conception. The film is called “Duns Scoto”, Italian for Duns Scotus, and is written and directed by Fernando Muraca based on the book by Fr. Stefano Maria Manelli, “Beato Giovanni Duns Scoto” published by the FIs in Italy. Adriano Braidotti plays Blessed John Duns Scotus and is supported by Raffaele Proietti, Sebastiano Colla, Alessandro Chini, Camilla Diana and Emanuele Maria Gamboni in the role of young Duns Scotus along with many others including not a few Franciscans of the Immaculate.
The only thing left to finish on the film is the sound track for which they are currently in negotiations. The film is due to premiere in May 2010 on DVD and in some theaters as was done with the highly successful pro-life film “Bella” and negotiations are underway for putting it on Italian TV and entering it in film festivals. It will be in Italian, but there may be an English version. We will be posting the trailer on AirMaria when it becomes available toward the end of April. So practice your Italian and stay tuned.
On the site of the filming with camera dolly on tracks, microphone boom, and high definition cameras. The high tech equipment makes a sharp contrast with the medieval monastery and period costumes. The director of photography was Massimo Lupi, famous for his creative cinematography in the Italian TV series Il Commissario Rex (Inspector Rex) about the adventures of Rex the police dog.
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The Abbey at Montelabate in Perugia where parts of the movie was filmed. Other locations were a nearby estate and also on the coast near Anconia.
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Adriano Braidotti as John Duns Scotus who is here praying for guidance from Mary as he is about to defend her prerogative of being immaculately conceived. There are two goals of the film. One is to spread knowledge about Duns Scotus in view of his canonization, and then eventually to him being declared a Doctor of of the Church. The other is to help Christianize our important mass media culture that has sadly become so secular and even dehumanized.
Here is a slide show of our Friars in New Bedford filmed over a period of 19 months (~2005-2006) by award winning photojournalist Peter Pereira, also from New Bedford. He filmed the entire series in black and white Kodak film, the old fashioned way. He even filmed some of the friars on errands away from the friary. He did an extraordinary job. Thank you, Peter.
Or you can order the book (not associated with friar’s Academy of the Immaculate. Revenue from sale of this book goes solely to pay for Peter Pereira expenses as he financed the entire printing himself.)
NACEPF Video #2 – Fr. Angelo discusses Mel Gibson’s The Passion with host John Primeau – 26 Min >>> Play
Ave Maria!
Fr. Angelo takes up the subject of Mel Gibson’s artistic film-masterpiece the Passion of the Christ and the marvelous portrayal of Mary as Coredeemer. Fr. Angelo wrote a small book on this subject, The Compassion of the Mother in the Passion of the Christ. This video was filmed two years ago at Nacepf courtesy of John Primeau.
30min) >>> 
Audio (MP3)
