EWTN's The Inquisition Mini-series

Rome and Italy- on location update

Myself with Cameraman/Editor Michal Benko



As I mentioned in my 12th of April post we are now in the production phase of a new docudrama mini-series on the Inquisition. This will cover all the Inquisitions and not just the Spanish.

 

Last month we were shooting in Rome where I had the honour to interview a prominent Cardinal; more about this closer to the screening date. It was also wonderful to be able to film around Rome and in some of her most famous churches.

 

With second camera/technician Pavol Kadlecik

 

While in Rome we had the good fortune to be looked after by EWTN Rome bureau. This office exists to work on EWTN's Rome programmes and help organise filming for EWTN's broadcasts from Rome. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their help with locations and contacts during our film there last month, in particular Alan Holdren, the Rome bureau's chief, whose Vaticano programmes regularly go out on EWTN.

Alan Holdren of EWTN's Vaticano

 



After Rome we travelled through the Italian countryside northwards to film the beautiful hilltop towns and lakes as we drove through the spectacular Appian mountains to Assisi. I wanted to stress how friars like the Franciscans and Dominicans, although espousing a simpler way of Christian life, were always loyal to the Church.

Filming in Florence

At the weekend we stayed at the Institute of Christ the King’s seminary at Gricigliano near Florence and took the opportunity to film for an afternoon around the city.

 

Renovation work at Gricigliano

After this we travelled to Venice to film around the city on the sea. This included a morning chugging around the canals on their Vaporettos, which are public transport water buses, filming whatever we might be able to use to accompany our Venetian Inquisition sequence.

The next shoot will be in the UK and France starting the end of this month. In the UK shoot we will have three days of filming the drama sequences, and there will be one more drama filming session in Slovakia. Also in the UK we will be filming most of the interviews with the historians as the academic year will have ended and they will have some free time.

 

DVD for In Search of Christendom - The Chartres Pilgrimage

Chartres Pilgrimage Documentary DVD

EWTN have just released the DVD for In Search of Christendom - The Chartres Pilgrimage documentary. This is the USA version and cost $10. The UK/Ireland version will hopefully be realised soon. Please help us make similar documentaries by purchasing this DVD.

To buy this DVD click here: In Search of Christendom - The Chartres Pilgrimage DVD

Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral draws thousands of young people for a Traditional Latin mass on the vigil of Pentecost. Spiritually fortified, they set out on a three-day walking pilgrimage to Notre Dame de Chartres Cathedral. If you doubt that Christianity is still alive in Western Europe, this is a special EWTN Documentary to see - and share. 1 disc / 30 minutes (CC).

Last November on my first post on this documentary I said. "If I have one prayer for this documentary it would be that once the documentary is released on DVD, orthodox and traditional Catholics should buy it and send it to the Pope and the Synod Fathers on the Family, and to anyone who believes that young Catholics want change. For young Catholics want authentic Catholic teachings on the faith and morality."

Maximilian Kolbe award

Maximilian Kolbe award

Very honoured  to receive the Maximilian Kolbe award -  for EWTN and Lux's communication's  The Crusades many thanks to all at EWTN and Lux for making this possible.

Niepokalanow International Catholic Film festival

Broadcast Dates and Times for EWTN’s

In Search of Christendom – The Chartres Pilgrimage

EWTN are to Broadcast In Search of Christendom – The Chartres Pilgrimage on Whit Sunday May 24^th at 3:30 pm in the UK and Ireland. Or watch it on line at: http://www.ewtn.co.uk/

In the USA it will be broadcast on Whit Sunday, May 24^th at 2:30 pm Eastern Time. Or watch it on line at: http://www.ewtn.com/tv/

Notre Dame Cathedral Paris

The documentary tells the story of the three day walking pilgrimage to Notre Dame Cathedral Chartres from Notre Dame Cathedral Paris over the Pentecost weekend. This is the 2013 pilgrimage for which we filmed all three days including the main Masses. 

Young Pilgrims sing hymns around the campfire

Young pilgrims witness to the faith through the
French countryside.

We did a number of interviews with pilgrims from France, England, USA, Middle East, and Ireland. A number of themes emerged, one of the most important being that the young people (who make up the majority of the pilgrims) want orthodoxy. They love the Traditional Latin Mass, they are strongly pro-Life and the natural family, and that marriage can only be between a man and a woman, anything else is just plain wrong.

Filming the Mass at Chartres Cathedral

Perhaps what shone through more than anything else was the sheer joy expressed by the thousands of young pilgrims as they took part in this most arduous of pilgrimages. They sang hymns and prayers all day long as they carried their colourful banners and flags through Paris and the French countryside, witnessing to the faith and proving that Christianity is alive and well in Western Europe – at least among the young!

Chartres Cathedral - The rain could not dampen
the spirits of the young pilgrims as they approached
Notre Dame Cathedral Chartres

To see these straight-talking,  joyful, young pilgrims, tune into EWTN on Pentecost Sunday, unless you are actually taking part in this year’s pilgrimage at the time!

Our Lady of Chartres 

Here are the full dates and times of the Chartres pilgrimage broadcast:

 In the USA ET (Eastern Time) Pentecost Sunday 24 May at 3:30pm, Monday May 25, 3:00am, 6:30 pm, (30mins) or watch on line at:  http://www.ewtn.com/tv/

On the  European satellite signal, GMT:  Sunday, May 24, 15:30; Monday, May 25, 02:00, 08:00, 21:00. (30 mins), or watch on line at: http://www.ewtn.co.uk/

EWTN's The Crusades wins the Grand Prix Niepokalanow Poland

EWTN’s The Crusades wins major award

Map showing the extent of Muslim conquest by 732

EWTN, the global Catholic television network has won the Grand Prix of the 30^th Niepokalanow International Catholic Film Festival Poland. http://www.festiwalniepokalanow.pl/ The competition to win this award was considerable with entries coming from 18 different countries, and included 117 feature films, documentaries and TV programs. 

The production was filmed in seven counties across Europe and the Holy Land and included interviews with four major Crusades historians from Britain and the USA. They were able to bring to the production some of the very latest scholarship regarding the Crusades and have dispelled many of the myths.  

The Crusades was an international co-production between EWTN -Global Catholic Network (USA), St Clare Media – EWTN (UK), Buckfast Abbey (UK) and Lux communication (Slovakia). We hope that people will take a fresh look at the Crusades instead of following the tired old dated theories.

Links to clips

The Opening Sequence

EWTN Wings

Now in Production for EWTN a four part docudrama

The Inquisition

After months of Pre-Production, the production phase of EWTN’s The Inquisition is now underway. There is still of course much planning and research to be done and the scripts need to be finalised.

The first filming sessions have now taken place with an 11 day trip to Spain. We kicked off in Spain mainly because I wanted the film the Semana Santa (Holy Week) penitential processions.

One of the Penitential Brotherhoods
Process in Salamanca 

Just like EWTN’s The Crusades I wanted a binding element as sort of background link to history that I could use in various places in the documentary. For the Crusades, I used the Chartres Pilgrimage, which not only takes place in the heartland of the Franks but also emphasises the pilgrimage element of the Crusades. For the Inquisition I wanted to film during Semana Santa (Holy Week) and the penitential processions in Spain. This gives us a pictorial view of the penitential link between Auto de fe, the inquisition, and today.

The Brothers carry a float depicting
Christ and Roman solider.

Superb workmanship on the figures. 

On 26^th March I flew into Madrid and met the team, Michal Benko Camera/Editor and Paul Kadlecik second Camera/Technician. Michal and Paul picked up hire car and we then started a gruelling eleven day, 1500 mile trip around major inquisition sites and cities of Spain. Not to mention filming the Holy Week processions which are accompanied by massive crowds: there were 300,000 they tell me lining the streets in Seville, which made filming very challenging, however, luckily we already had processions at Avila and Salamanca in the can.

Typically ornate Spanish Church

Like The Crusades for The Inquisition we are attempting to get to the truth of the matter. Why for example has the Inquisition become a byword for terror, cruelty and religious fanaticism? A black legend has been created with most of the fingers pointing at the Catholic Church and in particular, Spain. However, most these myths and Black Legends are false, created by the ancestors of the modern secular media. And just like the today’s Black Legends, they are, and continue to be created by those with an agenda yes they were created for a reason. If you want to find out the full story of the Inquisition we hope to finish the series by the late autumn of this year.

EWTN to show The Crusades again

Crusaders Pray before battle

THE CRUSADES

EWTN are to show the mini-series The Crusades from Tuesday 24^th to Friday 27 February click here http://www.ewtn.co.uk/

Here is the schedule for the UK and Ireland

EWTN Gallery.

Combining epic dramatic sequences with insights from leading historians, this mini-series clears up the many myths and distortions surrounding the Crusades. Filmed in the Holy Land and Europe.

Ep 1 Journeys of Faith

Tuesday 24, 02:00, 10:30, 21:00.

(30 mins)

Ep 2 The Crusader States

Wednesday 25, 02:00, 10:30, 21:00.

(30 mins)

Ep 3 Christendom Responds

Thursday 26, 02:00, 10:30, 21:00.

(30 mins)

Ep 4 Failures and Successes

Friday 27, 02:00, 10:30, 21:00.

(30 mins)

In the USA the times are as follows: 

click here https://www.ewtn.com/tv/index.asp#

EWTN Gallery

THE CRUSADES - JOURNEY’S OF FAITH

A look at the history and reasons for the Crusades, which originally was called an 'armed pilgrimage', aiding safety for pilgrims visiting the Holy Land against Muslim conquerors.

Tuesday 02/24 at 3:00 AM ET, 6:30 PM ET

CC TV-PG

EWTN Gallery

THE CRUSADES - THE CRUSADER STATES

After the miraculous success of the First Crusade, the Crusader hierarchy set up the Crusader States, along with the rise of Saladin and his conquest of Jerusalem.

Wednesday 02/25 at 3:00 AM ET, 6:30 PM ET

CC TV-PG

EWTN Gallery

THE CRUSADES - CHRISTENDOM RESPONDS

King Richard the Lionheart of England, King Philip of France and the German Emperor Fredrick Barbarossa embark on the Third Crusade; the famous meeting between St Francis of Assisi and sultan Al-Kamil.

Thursday 02/26 at 3:00 AM ET, 6:30 PM ET

CC TV-PG

EWTN Gallery

THE CRUSADES - FAILURES AND SUCCESSES

A look at the failures and successes of the Crusades and its legacy.

Friday 02/27 at 3:00 AM ET, 6:30 PM ET

CC TV-PG