Legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese was raised Catholic and has met the late Pope Francis multiple times. His new film, Aldeas, the Final Dream of Pope Francis, will reportedly have a special Vatican screening on April 21, 2026, marking the one-year anniversary of the Pope’s passing. The project serves as a fitting tribute to Francis’ vision for the world.
Local communities drive narrative in Scorsese’s documentary film
The project isn’t just a documentary but a part of a broader cultural initiative tied to Scholas Occurrentes, the global education movement founded by Pope Francis. It includes previously unseen footage and the Pope’s final on-camera testimony, recorded shortly before his death. The documentary has been shot across multiple countries, including Italy, Indonesia, Gambia, and Vatican City.
The documentary will follow communities around the world as they create their own stories through filmmaking. A segment of the film will also include Scorsese going back to his Sicilian roots and helping the local youth with storytelling through filmmaking. The film is centered on ideas that were sacred to the late Pope Francis, which include education, youth empowerment, and storytelling as a method of community engagement.
“At its heart is a film in which entire communities come together to create and share their own stories, including a return by Martin Scorsese to his grandfather’s village in Sicily, where he works with local young people to make a film of their own,” the synopsis for the documentary reads.
“Pope Francis understood that cinema would play a fundamental role in making the culture of encounter a reality. Working from the peripheries, the project creates space for people to tell their own stories, celebrating cultural diversity while fostering intercultural and intergenerational dialogue. It is a new kind of cinema, born from a new kind of education, helping shape a new culture,” the statement further reads.
“This film is a tribute to the Holy Father,” Martin Scorsese said. He added that it remembers Pope Francis by reflecting his life’s work and his hope for a kinder, more human world. Scorsese also said that in today’s time, this idea is not just a dream, but something we truly need.
Aldeas is backed by Aldeas Scholas Films, working alongside Sikelia Productions, Martin Scorsese’s banner, and Massive Owl Productions. Directors Clare Tavernor and Johnny Shipley are heading the project’s creative vision, working alongside producer Amy Foster.
