Padre Pio, directed by Abel Ferrara and starring Shia LaBeouf, is an upcoming Italian-German biographical drama film. The film is written by Maurizio Braucci and Abel Ferrara and produced by Murizio Antonia, Philip Kreuzer and Diana Philips. Apart from Shia LaBeouf, who plays the titular character, the film casts Marco Lionardi as Gerardo, Salvatore Ruocco as Vincenzo and Luca Lionello as Silvestro. The movie was filmed in Puglia, Italy in January 2022. LaBeouf converted to Catholicism during the production of the film. The music of the film is by Joe Delia. It will be released in 2 languages – English and Italian.

Ferrara had started shooting the film 5 years ago. The film features 20th century Italy and Padre Pio who is a mystic Capuchin monk renowned for having displayed the “stigmata” wounds of Christ. – bled from his hands, feet and sides. Ferrara narrates a parallel tale about the initiation of fascism in Italy that is very relevant today. The film starts with Padre Pio reaching the Capuchin monastery in San Giovanni Rotondo while its soldiers were coming back from World War I. The film is made in the name of the victims of the 1920 massacre and the people of Ukraine. Ferrara has always been concerned with Italian history, Catholicism and fascinated with Padre Pio. 

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 Ferrara’s early genre work has earned him a level of reputation. “Given the list of films I’d made you’d be wondering,” Ferrara acknowledges. However, he recounted that the church officials and the Capuchin friars were very supportive of the project and its star, LaBeouf. “LaBeouf had spent four months in a California monastery to prepare for the role”, Ferrara said, “and has said the chance to play “Padre Pio” was a miracle for him personally”, AP reported. 

Ferrara talked about Shia LaBeouf’s commitment to the role.

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The film is set to release at the Venice Days, the Venice Film Festival’s independently run sidebar festival. It is scheduled to release in competition in the Giornate Degli Autori section of Venice International Film Festival 2022, in September.