OneCatholicNews, August 11, 2011
Film screenings, events with actors, a soundtracks concert, and a world premiere
Madrid, August 4, 2011.- On Wednesday, August 17, Madrid’s “Calle Fuencarral” will be all decked out, red carpet included, to host a day of cinema, which World Youth Day (WYD) Madrid 2011 will offer to all the world’s young people. During the day, there will be a wide array of screenings, meetings, debates, a film soundtracks concert outdoors, and even a world premiere.
Sixteen theaters will show both short films and documentaries. Madrid’s cinemas “Proyecciones”, “Cine Paz”, “Roxy A”, and “Roxy B” will all host the screening of international films such as Il Etat Une Foi, Popieluszko, Rosary Stars, Super Brother, The Calling and El gran milagro, an animated film in 3D. The 16 theaters on Calle Fuencarral will also show several films like Katyn, There Be Dragons, Of Gods and Men, The Last Summit, The Passion of the Christ, and Shooting Dogs (also known as Beyond the Gates). Not only will these films be showing, but there will also be events held with the producers, directors, and actors of these and many other productions.
World Debut of Cristiada
The most prestigious Latin actors of Hollywood will star in Cristiada, a film based on a real-life story from the Mexican Cristero Wars which took place during the decade of the 1920s. Cristiada features different people who, from their varying perspectives and characters, engage in a struggle to defend their religion. Andy Garcia, Eva Longoria, Catalina Sandino, Rubén Blades, Nestor Carbonell, Oscar Isaac, Mauricio Curi, Eduardo Verastegui, and Santiago Cabrera are the protagonists in this blockbuster by Dean Wright, which also features guest appearances by Peter O’Toole, Bruce Greenwood, and Bruce McGill.
Among the most anticipated event for young people will be an encounter with the actress from High School Musical, Monique Coleman, currently UN Youth Ambassador; actor Matthew Marsden, famous for his work on Transformers and Black Hawk Down; and Steve Mc Eveety, Producer of The Passion of Christ, and secondly, another encounter with Mexican actress Karyme Lozano, known for her roles in several “telenovelas”. Lozano will also tell the story of her conversion process and return to the Catholic faith, following the death of her father.
Young families with small children can also take part. Teresa Ekobo, Director of the WYD Film Department says it will be a festive day. “I encourage families to come with their children, as one of the theaters at the ‘Proyecciones’ Cinema will be showing several films for younger children, such as The Chronicles of Narnia 3 and Super Brother.”
Moreover, there will also be two short-film festivals: the Iñigo Film Festival and the Goodness Reigns Festival, in addition to the showing of a short film, Milagros, which deals with the first recognized miracle of Pope John Paul II, which led to his beatification.
All this entertainment will be available to everyone, not just young people registered for WYD whose pilgrim’s pass will allow them to enter all the rooms for free. All other persons wishing to attend may enter these rooms by paying a symbolic price of 1 euro, which will go to the Solidarity Fund that WYD has designed to help young people from disadvantaged countries to attend this international celebration for youth in Madrid.
Outdoor concert, followed by world premiere
After all these acts, at 8:30pm, there will be a film soundtracks concert directed by renowned orchestra conductor and composerRoque Baños, three-time Goya award winner. Madrid’s “Calle Luchana” will host this multimedia show featuring music by the Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir (from the Spanish television program “El Conciertazo”), accompanied by the recitation of various reflections from Benedict XVI, read by Eduardo Verástegui, Monique Coleman, Karyme Lozano, and others.
Finally, to give this day at the movies a finishing touch, at 10:30 pm, World Youth Day will host the world premiere of The Gardener of God, a film written and directed by Italy’s Romanian-born Liana Marabani, starring Christopher Lambert as the Augustinian monk Gregor Mendel (1822-1884), father of modern genetics.