Vatican-Backed Documentary 'Green Lava' Enters Oscar Short Film Race
The Vatican is submitting its first ever film, the documentary short 'Green Lava', for Oscar consideration in the best documentary short category.
For the first time in its 97-year history, the Vatican is entering a film for Academy Award consideration. The documentary short 'Green Lava' portrays Giacomo Mattivi, an Italian teenager coping with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and the loss of his brother, set against the Dolomites landscape. Directed by Lia Beltrami and Ali Aksu, the 39-minute piece will run at the Lumiere Music Hall in Beverly Hills between Sept. 18 and 24.
After its theatrical showing, the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication will file the official Oscar entry for the best documentary short category. Paolo Ruffini, head of the Dicastery, praised the film as a celebration of life and community. Production involved Emotions to Generate Change in partnership with Vatican News, Radio Vaticana and Vatican Media.
