St Cuthbert's were honoured to host a premiere screening of the documentary "Francesca" in the Reece lecture theatre on Tuesday 29th March.
We welcomed the director, Evgeny Afineevsky, who was nominated for an Oscar and Emmy in 2016 for his film "Winter on Fire" and in 2018 received 3 Emmy nominations for "Cries from Syria".
The documentary interweaves voices and stories from past and present. It includes exclusive interviews with Pope Francis himself, with Pope emeritus Benedict XVI, with members of the Pope’s family and many others. In it, Mr Afineevsky highlights the challenges of our time, the urgencies that need answering and the mission of the Church in looking to those who suffer injustices.
Mr Afineevsky finished shooting "Francesco" last June, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. He uses hugely impactful images to recount various themes such as the pandemic, racism and abuse. The film deals with the war in Syria and Ukraine as well as with the persecution of Rohingya Muslims.
Following the screening, Mr Afineevsky spoke to the audience and answered some excellent questions from our Sixth Form students for which Mr Afineevsky praised them afterwards.
