Vatican Premiere of “Aldeas, the Final Dream of Pope Francis”

On April 21 2026 the Vatican Film Library screened Martin Scorsese’s feature-length documentary “Aldeas, the Final Dream of Pope Francis.” The private event, organized by the nonprofit Scholas Occurrentes, marked the one-year anniversary of Pope Francis’s death in 2025. The screening was also the film’s first public showing.

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Scholas Occurrentes, founded by Pope Francis in 2013 from a 2001 Argentine education project, runs youth programs worldwide. Its cultural arm, Aldeas Scholas Films, produced the 2024 documentary “Life Between Worlds” and now co-produces “Aldeas” with Sikelia Productions and Massive Owl Productions. Clare Tavernor and Johnny Shipley direct; the film includes the last video-recorded interview Pope Francis gave before his death.

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The documentary follows villagers in Italy, the Gambia and Indonesia who write, produce, act and direct their own stories. It asks, “What happens when you hand a camera to a community and ask them, ‘Who are you?’” and presents each small reality as a window onto the broader human experience. Scorsese also visits his ancestral Sicilian village, linking his own heritage to the villagers’ projects.

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Pope Francis, in a statement before his death, described the Aldeas initiative as poetic and constructive, emphasizing its focus on the roots of human life, sociability, conflict and the essence of a life’s journey. Scorsese said the film seeks to foster cross-cultural dialogue by sharing personal stories that help people understand diverse worldviews. Vatican undersecretary Antonio Spadaro described the screening as moving and noted the profound bond between the filmmaker and the late pope.

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By giving cameras to villagers, “Aldeas” preserves cultural identity while promoting global exchange, echoing Pope Francis’s vision of a more human world where dialogue transcends borders. The Vatican’s endorsement highlights the film’s relevance to ongoing discussions about solidarity, education and the role of art in fostering mutual understanding.

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• “an extremely poetic and very constructive project because it goes to the roots of what human life is, human sociability, human conflicts…the essence of a life’s journey.” — Pope Francis

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• “Scorsese said: “The loss for me runs deep—I was lucky enough to know him, and I will miss his presence and his warmth.” — Martin Scorsese, statement to *Variety*

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• “deeply moving occasion.” — Antonio Spadaro, S.J., undersecretary, Vatican Dicastery for Culture and Education (post on X)

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• “What happens when you hand a camera to a community and ask them, ‘Who are you?’ Every reality, even the smallest, is a world in itself and reveals the broader human experience.” — Aldeas Scholas Films website

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