Martin Scorsese’s Pope Francis Documentary ‘Aldeas’ Premieres at Vatican on First Anniversary of Pontiff’s Death
On Tuesday, April 21, 2026, the Vatican hosted the world premiere of Aldeas, The Final Dream of Pope Francis, a documentary co-directed by Martin Scorsese, Johnny Shipley, and Clare Tavernor. The screening commemorated the first anniversary of Pope Francis’s death, which occurred in April 2025.
The film, which features Pope Francis’s last in-depth on-camera interview recorded shortly before his passing, was organized by Scholas Occurrentes—the international educational organization founded by the pontiff in 2001 while he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires. Scholas Occurrentes was later established as a foundation when Francis became pope in 2013.
Aldeas documents the pontiff’s vision for a global “community cinema movement” aimed at fostering social integration and cross-cultural dialogue through filmmaking. As described by Pope Francis before his death, the initiative seeks to “go to the roots of what human life is, human sociability, human conflicts… The essence of a life’s journey.”
The documentary was filmed across multiple international locations, including Italy, Indonesia, The Gambia, and Vatican City. A notable segment features Scorsese returning to his ancestral village in Sicily to mentor local youth in creating their own short film.
Scorsese announced the project shortly after Pope Francis’s death in April 2025, emphasizing the pontiff’s belief that cinema serves as a vital medium for global dialogue: “Now, more than ever, we demand to talk to each other, listen to one another cross-culturally… It was important to Pope Francis for people across the globe to exchange ideas with respect while also preserving their cultural identity, and cinema is the best medium to do that.”
The Vatican screening formed part of a broader series of memorial events honoring the late pontiff’s legacy. Scholas Occurrentes continues to operate as a global platform promoting education, arts, and technological engagement for social integration.