The election of Pope Leo XIV ushers in a new Leonine era! Will Pope Leo XIV continue the powerful legacy of devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus established by his predecessor, Pope Leo XIII?

?Fathom Entertainment, Sonovision and Candelaria Productions Inc. recently announced the upcoming nationwide release of the new documentary feature “The Face of Jesus” in U.S. theatres for one-day only on June 3 and with the new Pontificate underway and so much speculation about the path forward under Pope Leo XIV, this new film arrives at a moment in history when the world wonders if this new Leonine era and a resurgence of the spirituality of Leo XIII.

“It’s a fascinating time in the Church and in the world because under our new Pope, we are considering the reasons why Leo XIV took the name he did, the spirituality of ‘Leo’ and what we may come to see and experience in the coming days, months and years,” said Oscar Delgado, co-founder of Candelaria Productions Inc. and lead producer for “The Face of Jesus” added value feature. “Our movie and the timing that it is hitting is truly divine because everything about this film and the added value commentary points to the ancient devotion to the Holy Face. Is this a coincidence that Leo XIII was the Pope who founded the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face? We know there are no coincidences with God and we are in an era where God is calling people to Himself, to gaze upon His Holy Face and His beauty. Our movie will bring audiences face-to-face with God.”
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Produced and directed by Polish filmmaker Jaroslaw Redziak, the movie brings audiences a powerful experience of the most mysterious, rare and revered images of Jesus and brings audiences a cinematic face-to-face encounter with God that is compelling, provocative and awe inspiring!

Pope Leo XIII is credited with leading the Catholic Church into the 20th Century and is the longest reigning pope in history to date. Pope Leo XIV has noted why he took the name of “Leo” for his Pontificate. One of Leo XIII’s chief devotions was to the Holy Face of Jesus, which included the approval of the Face of Jesus scapular, recognition of many miracles attributed to the Holy Face and the establishment of the Archconfraternity to the Holy Face in 1885.

“The arrival of ‘The Face of Jesus’ movie truly hits at a time when the world needs to contemplate the face of God and has such a connection to this new Leonine era that we are living in,” said Fr. Robert Altier, priest of the Diocese of St. Paul and author of God’s Plan for Your Marriage. Father Altier presents commentary in the bonus feature that will play after the main film. “Our new Pope and the spirituality that is ‘Leonine’ could truly inspire a new generation and many movie-goers to better understand why this devotion is so important, even in our modern times. It’s so wonderful to see the spiritual thread from Pope Leo XIII, who first approved the devotion to the Holy Face as revealed to Sr. Mary of St. Peter, to today with Pope Leo XIV and to consider the resurgence of devotion to the Holy Face that can become a reality. I hope that Pope Leo XIV will see our movie!”

“To re-inspire the devotion, we have created a cinema novena that is ongoing and available at the Shroud Center of Southern California’s website,” said Oscar Delgado. “We basically tapped several prominent leaders and partners to take a day and reflect on the face of Jesus. This is a companion aspect to our film to get people to contemplate, pray and be reminded that Jesus’ face contains all love, all knowledge, the all knowing glance that each and every single one of us needs right now.”

“The Face of Jesus” explores two acheiropoietic images—sacred cloths not made by human hands—the Shroud of Turin and the Veil of Manoppello, as well as the most extraordinary depiction of Jesus painted by human hands: the Vilnius image of the Merciful Jesus. Filmmakers take the audience on a global journey to the tomb in Jerusalem from 2,000 years ago, to Rome, Manoppello, and San Giovanni Rotondo, to discover what our Savior looked like.

“There is endless fascination with who God is, what he looked like and if it’s possible that he has left us an image of himself,” said Jaroslaw Redziak, producer and director of “The Face of Jesus.”

Known throughout the world, the Shroud of Turin is an ancient linen cloth with the image of a man believed by many to be Jesus Christ and is kept in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin, Italy. The Shroud has been the subject of extensive scrutiny, scientific study and thousands of news stories that have probed its authenticity. The Veil of Manoppello is another ancient cloth that is lesser known, discovered in the early 1900s, but gained wider awareness and popularity when the late Pope Benedict XVI made a visit during his Papacy in 2005 to the remote village to see for himself. This veil has been the subject of research and writing by documentary subject and renowned German journalist and historian Paul Badde whose work has exposed the veil to a global audience. The veil reveals another image of Jesus and according to experts corresponds to the face of Christ in the Shroud of Turin. The last image to be explored is the Vilnius image of the Divine Mercy, a divinely inspired image made by human hands based on visions and messages of Jesus given to Saint Faustina Kowalska. The image was painted by Eugeniusz Kazimirowski and created under the guidance of Saint Faustina and her confessor, Blessed Michael Sopocko.

Throughout the film, several prominent experts from around the world bring forward the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin and the Veil of Manoppello as well as the story behind the painting of the stunning Vilnius image of the Divine Mercy that has become a central image within the popular contemporary Catholic devotion to the Divine Mercy.

Featured experts in the documentary include:

Fr. Zbigniew Drzal, author of “Show Me Your Face”

Marcin Kwa?ny (narrator), acclaimed Polish actor (Triumph of the Heart), screenwriter and director

Krzysztof Sadlo, curator of the exhibition dedicated to the Turin Shroud at the John Paul II Center in Krakow

Professor Wojciech Kucewicz, expert in silicon detectors of ionizing radiation

Professor Tomasz Graff, Pontifical University of John Paul II in Krakow

Anna Krogulska, PhD, Polish lay missionary with a focus on the Shroud of Turin

Paul Badde, renowned German journalist and writer, author of best-sellers “Divine Face” and “Face to Face: Witness to the Resurrection”

Fr. Carmine Cucinelli, OFM Cap, Italian Capuchin friar and former custodian of the Shrine of the Holy Face in Manoppello; hosted Pope Benedict XVI at the Basilica

Sr. Petra-Maria Steiner, Vita Communis – Maria of the Holy Family and expert on the history of Manoppello

Following the main feature documentary, a short bonus presentation will include commentary from prominent U.S. clergy, Fr. Robert Altier, priest of the Diocese of St. Paul and author of God’s Plan for Your Marriage, and Fr. Lawrence Daniel Carney III, priest of the Diocese of Wichita, who eloquently add further context to “The Face of Jesus,” its themes and the growing devotion to the Holy Face in contemporary Catholicism.

“The U.S. clergy that we tapped for the bonus feature add beautiful spiritual context to what audiences will experience in the main film and will help people to go deeper,” said Oscar Delgado. “Did you know there is a secret to the Holy Face? Father Carney will teach and instruct about Jesus’ countenance and the yearning we all have to see the face of God. Father Altier will provide historical and theological context for greater understanding.”

Tickets for “The Face of Jesus” are available now on the ?Fathom Entertainment website or at participating theatre box offices.

About Fathom Entertainment
?Fathom Entertainment is the leading global specialty distributor of live and pre-recorded content to theatres. For more than 20 years, Fathom has pioneered theatrical distribution of events and special engagements, including performing arts, movies, episodic content, and other special event programming across various genres and formats. Fathom offers content creators a worldwide cinema distribution network by operating in 45 countries and boasts a live digital broadcast network of more than 1,100 locations. Fathom is owned by AMC Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: AMC), Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK), and Regal Cineworld Group (LSE: CINE.L). For more information, visit FathomEntertainment.com.