Dio ride, written and directed by Giovanni Veronesi (The King’s Musketeers, Manual of Love, For Love, Only for Love), will close the 83rd edition of the Venice International Film Festival in an out-of-competition slot.
Dio ride will have its world premiere on Saturday, Sept. 12, after the awards ceremony. Venice opens on Sept. 2.
“During the mid-1600s, there is a man who talks of God in a way that no one has ever done before: Frate Leopoldo da Casamacchia,” reads a synopsis. “While the Church preaches in Latin, Fra Leopoldo recounts the Gospel with contagious joy, bringing comfort and hope to those who listen to him. He speaks of a God who is close to the people and is even able to laugh with them. His message spreads from village to village, winning the hearts of thousands of people who begin to follow him everywhere, as the churches empty out.”
Of course, word reaches the Vatican. “The Pope decides to entrust the case to Cardinal Maculani, the most authoritative inquisitor of his era,” the synopsis continues. “What begins as a trial turns into an unexpected confrontation that is destined to challenge seemingly unshakable convictions. While Leopoldo’s destiny seems foreordained, the destinies of Maculani and those who, like him, are overcome by doubt take unexpected directions. Because you can silence a voice but not what that voice has left in others.”
