Many know Oscar and Emmy-nominated Director Evgeny Afineevsky for his 2015 film Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom. Others may be familiar with 2017's Cries from Syria. Both films document intense conflicts and reflect the brutal toll of oppressive regimes on innocent citizens. He recently returned to Ukraine for this forthcoming Netflix documentary Freedom on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom about the current Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Afineevsky's documentary Francesco marks a departure from conflict-focused films but retains Afineevsky's commitment to humanity. The film is surprising in its intimacy as it explores the life of its title subject: Francesco, whom the world knows as Pope Francis.
It's clear that Afineevsky had unprecedented access to Pope Francis in the film's making, which follows Pope Francis's ascension to his current role in the church. The documentary does not shy away from points of contention and critique of both the Pope and the Catholic church, particularly regarding the history of child sexual abuse by Catholic priests.
The film takes head-on through the stories of survivors, following Pope Francis's initial defense of a Chilean bishop accused of covering up the abuse of a priest under his jurisdiction and then his decision to reopen an investigation regarding the case and, ultimately, meeting with survivor Juan Carlos Cruz.
The documentary made waves because of an interview scene with Pope Francis that shows him supporting civil law for homosexual couples. In a series of cuts, the Pope contradicts official Catholic church teachings and states: "Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family. [...] They’re children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out, or be made miserable because of it."
As a whole, we see in this film Afineevsky's keen eye and interest in compassion and humanity as he highlights Pope Francis's work to support refugees and action regarding the climate crisis. This film also underscores Pope Francis's charisma as a leader and the love he garners from many around the world.
The humanitarian work highlighted in Francesco makes the film a valuable educational tool. It is not a film that is pro-Catholic, which makes sense as it is from a Jewish Israeli-American filmmaker, but is a film about the ability of people to change and the importance of compassion and humanitarian action.
Finally, Journeys in Film has a free curriculum guide for teaching film using Francesco. Their 6-lesson guide is available in English and Spanish and includes lessons focused on: Climate/Environmental Science, Migrants (relevant to so many current events issues today), Genocide, and World Religions.