EXCLUSIVE: Pray For Me: Pope Francis’ Story, a feature documentary about the former Pope, developed in collaboration with the Vatican Television Center, has locked sales deals in Spain and Portugal out of the Cannes Market.
NOS Lusomundo has acquired rights for Portugal, while A Contracorriente Films has secured Spain.
The film is directed by Facundo Bartucci and co-produced with Facundo Mugica. Matías Fontenla serves as Executive Producer and international sales agent.
Edited by Miguel De Zuviría (Trenque Lauquen), the documentary traces Jorge Bergoglio’s journey from Buenos Aires to becoming the first Latin American Pope.
“This is a project where access, story, and timing align in a very powerful way,” Fontenla, a former exec at the Argentinian-based FilmSharks, said in a statement. “The goal is to position the film as a global event, both theatrically and across platforms.”
Pray For Me: Pope Francis’ Story is the latest feature doc about the former Pope. Aldeas, the Final Dream of Pope Francis, a tribute to Pope Francis that was overseen by Martin Scorsese, debuted on April 21.
Filmed across Italy, Indonesia, the Gambia, and Vatican City, Aldeas features Pope Francis’ last, never-before-seen on-screen testimony, recorded shortly before his death. The film revolves around the premise of communities coming together to create and share their own stories through cinema, and includes a segment in which Scorsese returns to his grandfather’s village in Sicily, where he helps local young people make a film of their own.
