Posts Tagged ‘film’

“This is the story of a remarkable odd couple.” That’s the description of the new film “G-DOG” about Jesuit Father Greg Boyle and the former gang members, or homies, he’s served and befriended since 1992, when he founded Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles.

Homeboy Industries helps former gang members learn skills to better their lives and provides jobs in its bakery, café and t-shirt store.

“G-DOG” was directed by Academy Award-winning documentarian Freida Mock and had its U.S. debut this past June at the Los Angeles Film Festival.

Mock says she was inspired to make the film after seeing Fr. Boyle’s book “Tattoos on the Heart.” She remembers thinking, “A priest, kids, gangs and love? What’s this all about?”

The film, which is slated for theatrical release next year, introduces audiences to Fr. Boyle and the homies he helps. It also depicts a tough year for Homeboy Industries, with the possibility that the businesses will have to close because of challenging economic times.

Variety’s review said, “In an era with a paucity of real heroes, a genuine one emerges in “G-Dog”: the inexhaustible Jesuit priest Greg Boyle, whose Homeboy Industries has saved countless lives in Los Angeles’ gang-plagued neighborhoods.”

For more, visit the film’s website, www.gdogthemovie.com, where you can meet the cast and view clips.

Jesuit Father Michael Sparough, a retreat director at Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House, in Barrington, Ill., and author of a number of books, is now leading an effort to bring Chicago Cardinal Joseph Bernardin’s life story to the big screen.

Fr. Sparough is working with two Hollywood scriptwriters to turn Bernardin’s best seller, The Gift of Peace, into a mainstream feature film.

“It’s a classic hero’s journey, and I think it’s a story that needs to be told in our time — and my hope is it’s a healing story for those who have been wounded by the Church, and a story that will remind us of some of the best parts of our Catholic tradition,” said Sparough.

Sparough, who has a background in theater directing, said the project “has been incubating” for about eight years, and he’s getting help from a program called Act One that tries to enhance the Christian presence in Hollywood.

Sparough hopes to have the project in good enough shape this coming spring to start shopping it around.

“I’m encouraging people to pray for the project, there are lots of obstacles, but I really believe that if the Lord wants the story to be told . . . it’s going to happen.”

Read more about Sparough’s project at Chicago Catholic News.

Jesuit Father Michael Sparough, a retreat director at Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House, in Barrington, Ill., and author of a number of books, is now leading an effort to bring Chicago Cardinal Joseph Bernardin’s life story to the big screen.

Fr. Sparough is working with two Hollywood scriptwriters to turn Bernardin’s best seller, The Gift of Peace, into a mainstream feature film.

“It’s a classic hero’s journey, and I think it’s a story that needs to be told in our time — and my hope is it’s a healing story for those who have been wounded by the Church, and a story that will remind us of some of the best parts of our Catholic tradition,” said Sparough.

Sparough, who has a background in theater directing, said the project “has been incubating” for about eight years, and he’s getting help from a program called Act One that tries to enhance the Christian presence in Hollywood.

Sparough hopes to have the project in good enough shape this coming spring to start shopping it around.

“I’m encouraging people to pray for the project, there are lots of obstacles, but I really believe that if the Lord wants the story to be told . . . it’s going to happen.”

Read more about Sparough’s project at Chicago Catholic News.