The new biopic on Padre Pio, which premiered at film festivals last year, has been acquired by the film distribution company Gravitas Ventures, which has finally set a public release date. Padre Pio, starring Shia LaBeouf in the titular role, will come to the US on June 2, 2023.
Aleteia previously reported on the extensive research LaBeouf completed prior to the filming, which included spending time with a community of Franciscans in Northern California. Donning the brown Capuchin robes of the order, LaBeouf attended church services with the friars and even took a pilgrimage with a group of them to the Italian town of San Giovanni Rotondo, where Padre Pio lived and served from 1916 until his death in 1968.
According to Deadline, the film debuted at the Venice Film Festival in September 2022 and played again at the Mammoth Film Festival in early March 2023. While the news outlet announced the June 2 release, they did not specify if the film would be in theaters or on streaming platforms. As for the plot, Deadline describes Padre Pio:
It’s the end of World War I and the young Italian soldiers are making their way back to San Giovanni Rotondo, a land of poverty, historic violence and the ironclad rule of the church and its wealthy landowners. Families are desperate; the men are broken, but victorious. Padre Pio (Shia Labeouf) also arrives, to a remote Capuchin monastery, to begin his ministry evoking an aura of compelling charisma, saintliness and storied visions of Jesus, Mary and the Devil himself.
Of the film, Director Abel Ferrara has stated:
“Padre Pio is a film about the spiritual journey of the great saint in parallel with that of Shia Labeouf who portrays him.”
Padre Pio will be released in the US on June 2. Visit Gravitas Ventures to learn more information as it is announced.
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