John Paul II – Fall of Communism
John Paul II and the Fall of Communism
World premiere of Liberating a Continent
12/06/2015 ~ 5:15 to 6:45 pm ~ Doors Open: 4 pm ~ All ages welcome
Admission is FREE: Guests will be admitted on first-come, first-served basis
On Dec. 6, Liberating a Continent: John Paul II and the Fall of Communism will make its global debut at the Copernicus Center in Chicago.
What is the true inside story of the fall of communism? How do the spiritual forces unleashed by Pope John Paul II in his native Poland continue to resonate today in places like Ukraine? For the first time the complete story of the Revolution of ’89 and the ongoing quest for freedom in Europe is unveiled in Liberating a Continent: John Paul II and the Fall of Communism.
Narrated by actor Jim Caviezel, and with original music by renowned composer Joe Kraemer (Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, Jack Reacher), the documentary features rare archival footage and is the most in-depth documentary to date on St. John Paul II’s ‘revolution of conscience.’ The film features exclusive interviews with several heads of state, including former Polish president and Solidarity founder Lech Wałęsa, as well as papal biographer George Weigel; John Paul’s lifelong assistant Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, archbishop of Kraków and influential aide to Pope John Paul II; and Richard Allen, Ronald Reagan’s national security advisory, among numerous others.
The 90-minute film chronicles Karol Wojtyla’s remarkable rise from an underground seminarian and amateur playwright to the Cardinal Archbishop of Kraków and brings to light how Wojtyła’s ascension to the papacy in 1978 struck fear in the heart of the Soviet politburo. As archbishop, Wojtyła developed tools for resistance to communist rule that were grounded in defense of human rights and the reclaiming of Poland’s Catholic identity. Historians and journalists, with access to recently declassified KGB documents, help to illustrate the vast Soviet campaign to counteract John Paul II’s moral crusade. The documentary, in methodical fashion, follows the wave of free thought that swept through the Soviet bloc as a result of the pope’s epic nine-day pilgrimage to Poland in June 1979.
For more information visit: www.jp2film.com
David Naglieri
Documentary Director, David Naglieri, will provide remarks and commentary “pre” and “post” premiere.
EVENT PRODUCER: Paul Hensler, WTTW
SPONSORS: Copernicus Foundation, Knights of Columbus
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