Goodness Reigns Part of Major Cinema Presence at World Youth Day 2011

Aug. 16, 2011 - PRLog -- For More Information:

Kevin Wandra, 678-990-9032 or
KWandra@MaximusMG.com

Young Filmmakers Present Their Work To The International Community Alongside Major Films

MADRID, Spain, Aug. 16, 2011  – Young filmmakers who participated in the Goodness Reigns “Share The Story” Short Film Contest will have their work showcased alongside major motion pictures – including a world premiere – during World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid. Among those attending to support the event are two judges for the “Share The Story” contest – Steve McEveety and Fr. Thomas Rosica. The Goodness Reigns festival will bring together young filmmakers ranging from California to Alabama to as far away as Pune, India.

Madrid’s “Calle Fuencarral” will be decked out, red carpet included, to host the World Youth Day 2011 day of cinema. In addition to the “Share The Story” short film festival, there will be a wide array of screenings, meetings, debates, a film soundtracks concert outdoors, and even a world premiere.

Madrid’s cinemas “Proyecciones”, “Cine Paz”, “Roxy A”, and “Roxy B” will all host the screening of international films such as “Il Etat Une Foi,” “Popieluszko,” “Rosary Stars,” “Super Brother,” “The Calling” and “El gran milagro,” an animated film in 3D. The 16 theaters on Calle Fuencarral also will show “Katyn,” “There Be Dragons,” “Of Gods and Men,” “The Last Summit,” “The Passion of the Christ” and “Shooting Dogs” (also known as Beyond the Gates). There also will be events held with the producers, directors, and actors of these and many other productions.

There also will be a world premiere. The most prestigious Latin actors of Hollywood star in “Cristiada,” a film based on a real-life story from the Mexican Cristero Wars, which took place during the decade of the 1920s. “Cristiada” features different people who, from their varying perspectives and characters, engage in a struggle to defend their religion. Andy Garcia, Eva Longoria, Catalina Sandino, Rubén Blades, Nestor Carbonell, Oscar Isaac, Mauricio Curi, Eduardo Verastegui, and Santiago Cabrera are the protagonists in this blockbuster by Dean Wright, which also features guest appearances by Peter O'Toole, Bruce Greenwood, and Bruce McGill.

Mario St. Francis (www.mariostfrancis.com) will emcee the Goodness Reigns festival, which will serve as the pinnacle event of the “Share The Story” Short Film Contests that will be offered before future World Youth Days. Also included on the schedule for this World Youth Day video event are the Iñigo Short Film Festival and a screening of the short film “Milagros,” which deals with the first recognized miracle of Pope John Paul II, which led to his beatification.

Among the “Share The Story” films to be shown is an address by His Eminence John Cardinal Foley, past president of the Pontifical Council of Social Communications and Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. The event will also feature the presentation of an original painting of Blessed John Paul II. Both men serve as inspiration for Goodness Reigns, whose purpose is to provide an impetus among young adults for creating positive media worldwide that communicates the truths and teachings of the Catholic faith.

A special presentation will be made to highlight the collaborative filmmaking effort that brought together a Philadelphia Catholic high school and a Catholic man in Pakistan and resulted in the film, “Serving the Poor in Pakistan.”

“Sharing my story has been an extraordinary experience of love, and I have received more blessings than I had ever thought possible as the Lord has multiplied my blessings," said Diana Lourdes Eroza Osorio of Cuernavaca, Mexico. She is one of the filmmakers who will be on hand for the festival.

All contest films may be viewed online at www.GoodnessReigns.com/vote.

For more information on Goodness Reigns and its “Share Your Story” project, or to schedule an interview with Executive Director Suzanne Haugh, please contact Kevin Wandra with The Maximus Group at (678) 990-9032 or email KWandra@MaximusMG.com.