A new film sharing the religious experience that three young children had in Fatima, Portugal in 1917 is heading to the big screen.
"Fatima" will debut Aug. 14. The film is about a 10-year-old shepherd and her two young cousins, who reported seeing visions of the Virgin Mary. Their experience has led people to take religious pilgrimages to Fatima, Portugal to witness where the "Miracle of the Sun" took place.
"They had the faith and courage to stand up to everybody," Bob Berney, CEO of Picturehouse and producer of the film told Newsmax TV's "John Bachman Now" during a Tuesday appearance.
"One thing that is interesting is in 1917, when the film takes place, the church was really under siege from both the state and other forces," he said.
He said it was the "courageousness of these three kids who were believers" that makes the film special.
"They knew what they saw," he said. "They had the faith and courage to stand up to everybody" who told them it didn't happen or told them to deny it happened.
"The faith of children, so strong, is what makes the film special," he said, adding he is thrilled the people are supporting a film about "Catholicism and about faith and hope."
Because the square in Fatima where people travel is closed due the coronavirus pandemic, he said they created a virtual pilgrimage to the city.
"It was really powerful," he said.
Berney also teamed up with Jim Wahlberg, founder of the "If Only Foundation" to create a special movie premiere. The movie was screened on the Miami Dolphin football field to a drive-in audience.
"It was great," Berney said of the drive-in premiere.
He said they wanted to give people a safe way to experience the film together.
"People are very, very I think, needful of faith at this time and they want to experience it together," he said. "To have it in the stadium made it a real event."
Wahlberg said the story depicted in the film is no different than other times in the church's history where saints who had visions had to validate them.
"Our church, our faith, has a history of sort of not believing something itself," he said, adding his wife recently returned from a trip to Fatima.
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