It all began with an encounter with Mgr. Dario Edoardo Viganò, Prefect of the Secretariat for Communications of the Holy See. Wim Wenders has known Mgr. Viganò for some years; their friendship began thanks to their love for cinema. And it is precisely because of his original and experimental look, never lacking in poetry and tenderness, that Mgr. Viganò took him onboard, first of all for the direction, with the Vatican Television Centre, of the live televised coverage of the opening of the Jubilee of Mercy in St Peter’s, on 8 December 2015, and then for the filmmaking project of “Pope Francis. A man of his word”. “Pope Francis – director Wenders, who received three Oscar nominations for his documentaries including ‘The Salt of the Earth’, tells SIR news agency – is the living example of a man who fights for his beliefs. In the film, the Pope addresses the viewer directly, with an approach so simple and so spontaneous. We have tried to make a film addressed to any viewer, without any distinction of faith or culture, because Francis’ message is universal”.

Director Wenders will reveal other details about the film “Pope Francis. A man of his word” together with Mgr. Viganò on 25 May at the 70^th Cannes Film Festival, where they will take the floor in an original debate about cinema and spirituality at an event sponsored by “Festival Sacré de la Beauté” (Festivalsacredelabeaute.org). “Pope Francis. A man of his word” will be distributed worldwide by Focus Features | NBCUniversal Group; it is produced by Célestes Images, Vatican Television Centre, Solares Fondazione delle Arti, PTS Art’s Factory, Neue Road Movies, Fondazione Solares Suisse, and Decia Films.