“Sound of Freedom” director Alejandro Monteverde has again teamed up with Angel Studios, this time for his upcoming film “Cabrini.”
The film follows real events from the life of 19th century nun Francesca Cabrini, who was the first U.S. citizen to be canonized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church. An immigrant from the Province of Lodi in Italy, Cabrini was the founder of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a religious institute that supported Italian immigrants coming to America.
“Cabrini” is set against the backdrop of bigotry against Italian immigrants in 19th century America and will explore the unlikely events that led to the first American saint being a woman. The film stars Cristiana Dell’Anna in the title role, along with John Lithgow, David Morse, Giancarlo Giannini and Federico Castelluccio.
“Cabrini, her life, shined a light in a very dark world in very dark times. And I was honored to be part of a film that shines a light on her life,” said Monteverde. “And I was embarrassed because I didn’t know who she was. This is a woman that had a tremendous impact in the world. Tremendous. Her impact goes beyond any other character, historic character that has had an impact in the world.”
“This film, it’s a film that you experience. It’s a film that—and I hear this not from me, just from the audiences that have seen—they come in one person and they leave a different person,” Monteverde continued. “And one of our goals when we make movies is to make movies that begin when the movie ends that leave you in a state of reflection.”
Angel Studios is distributing “Cabrini,” as it did “Sound of Freedom,” a film that surprised the entertainment industry by earning over $180 million in domestic box office sales.
Starring Jim Caviezel, “Sound of Freedom” centers on the story of Tim Ballard, a former U.S. federal agent who rescued child sex-trafficking victims in South America.
“Sound of Freedom” has been subject to a number of controversies during its theatrical run, including accusations that the events of the film, which are purported to be the retelling of a true story, were embellished or fabricated and that the film promotes QAnon conspiracy theories.
Though Caviezel has on several occasions publicly expressed his belief in certain conspiracy theories associated with QAnon, makers of the film have maintained that the events depicted therein are a faithful representation of what actually happened.
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Despite these and other controversies, viewers have flocked to see “Sound of Freedom.” Its Rotten Tomatoes audience score sits at 99%.
