Canonized in 1946, she is the Patron Saint of Immigrants.
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(The interview was condensed and edited for clarity.)
DEADLINE:Had you heard of Francesca Cabrini when this project was brought to you?
Cristiana Dell’Anna and David Morse in Alejandro Monteverde’s ‘Cabrini’Angel Studios
What did you think initially?
ALEJANDRO MONTEVERDE: I hadnt known anything about her.
I was shocked, because she had such a strong impact in this country, and in the world.
She was a warrior.
She defied all these institutions that were run by men.
She had to fight.
She was like a superhero.
She was even wearing a cape.
I came to this country the same way, with no money, with a lot of dreams.
So, I was like, wow, yeah.
I realized that her life was very cinematic, and I got really excited.
And then thats when we dove in to develop the vision of the film.
DEADLINE:The lead actress here is key.
How did you come to Cristiana?
MONTEVERDE:This was a project that kind of started to have its own voice.
And at one point it sounds like a cliche I started to listen to the project.
She faced down dangerous criminals and powerful politicians.
So, I needed those eyes.
[The film was shot in Buffalo, New York and Rome.]
DEADLINE:Immigration is a big issue right now.
But as the film shows, thats nothing new.
MONTEVERDE:Archbishop Corrigan tells Cabrini, Youre never going to fix this problem.
This problem is here now, and will be here 100 years from now.
This country is built by immigrants and immigration is part of the DNA of this country.
Were living it today.
And thats why the movie, in my humble opinion, is very relevant to whats happening today.
[Francesca] Cabrini was about the immigrant, the human being.
Shes called the patron of immigrants.
She left a mark on the life of immigrants here in America.
DEADLINE:Your work is often called faith-based.
What are your thoughts on that label?
MONTEVERDE:For me, its very painful.
Not because of the faith-based label, its any label.
Labels are designed to exclude, period.
So the minute you label something, youre split into another audience.
I have always been fighting against labels.
What is the upside of a label?
Like, why label?
Why not just call it a movie?
And why do some projects get labeled and some dont?
And I like to make movies that propose questions, to open up a social dialogue.
So yes, I dont understand why they need to label my work.
I take it personally.
My films constantly have that label.
I hope one day its just a movie.
I am currently working on that project to be shot in Malta.
Im very excited about that film.
And this is a perfect film to celebrate that.
For the new film, peoples awareness of who she is is the opposite of Cabrini in many ways.
Because nobody knew who Cabrini was, and everybody knows who she is.
Its a project thats been on the works for many, many years.
