Introducing “Cabrini: The Forgotten Heroine” – ESA had the pleasure of attending the highly anticipated screening of this compelling film. As the lights dimmed and the aroma of freshly popped popcorn filled the air, anticipation ran high.
Set in a world where purpose outweighs personal gain, “Cabrini” tells the extraordinary story of an elderly woman who dares to confront the challenges others shy away from.
From the very outset, viewers are drawn into a heart-wrenching scene: a child’s desperate cry for help echoes through the streets, met with indifference from those who pass by. It’s a true reflection of a society so desensitised to the suffering of others, where looking away has become easier than lending a hand.
But among the challenges, Cabrini emerges as a beacon of hope. Based on the remarkable life of Frances Xavier Cabrini, also known as Mother Cabrini, this film documents her journey from humble beginnings in Italy to her groundbreaking humanitarian work across continents. Despite battling illness, she founded the Institute of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, paving the way for a legacy of compassion and service.
Through her tireless efforts, Cabrini establishes schools, orphanages, hospitals, and social service agencies, leaving an indelible mark on countless lives. And when confronted with the harsh realities of poverty and disease in New York City’s slums, she fearlessly challenges the status quo, rallying support in terms of funding to provide housing and healthcare for orphaned children.
“Cabrini: The Forgotten Heroine” is a stirring testament to the power of purpose and the resilience of the human spirit.
Join along as the world celebrates the extraordinary life of a woman who dared to make a difference in a world desperate for hope.
ESA got to have a word with the Screenwriter, Rod Barr after the screening:
ESA: Of all the moving reality-based stories or real life based stories that that carry female heroes, what led you to choosing this one and to share with the world and and what’s what inspired you to write about Cabrini?
Rob Barr: Well, when I was first offered the project to write, it was pitched to me as a story about the first American Saint. Those were the exact words said to me, and I have to admit that my first response was that I’m not interested in that because I thought it would it be a boring movie. And then I read about Francesca Cabrini and I realized, okay, no, this is an underdog story, the equal of rock. This is a woman who had everything arrayed against her, she was frail. She was a woman in a man’s world, for sure. And she was an Italian woman. In a country, America, that sought and believed in large part that Italians were the sort of the lowest of the low, barely above animals is how they were described. It’s kind of hard to imagine now, but that’s the truth of how many Americans thought of Italians. So as a writer, when you find an underdog story like that, I knew I could write a script that had propulsion and an engine to it. And the fact that she is a woman was especially, you know, part of her underdog status. Because in America at that time women couldn’t vote, they couldn’t own property. And the fact that she went on to be an entrepreneur, the equal of Vanderbilt or Rockefeller, and these men, these businessmen that we revere. She was their equal, or better. Because she of course, didn’t do it for profit. She did it to serve others. She was an astonishingly skilled businesswoman. She used every bit of her skill and talent for the right reasons. And that’s a beautiful story. It’s a story worth telling. I think the movie really beautifully gets that across.
ESA: Why was Christiana chosen to be the lead in the film? Because you would think that American producers have the world’s acting in the palm of their hands. How did Christiana land that role?
Rob Barr: She’s sort of a miracle, Christiana. You know there are there some things you can’t teach in acting in one of them is screen charisma. You can’t take your eyes off her once she’s on the screen. The piece of advice we got was to get an Italian woman to play Mother Cabrini. Because, like others, you’ll be tempted to get the big British star or the American star to do an accent. We took that advice to heart all under the director. Obviously looked at many, many, many actresses, but Christiana was really something special. She brought so much to this role, and certainly, being Italian, I think, is an important part of that. It’s such a demanding role that one. You really just have to be wonderful actors, which of course she is. She just did it. She did a beautiful job.
ESA: What would you like people to take away from the movie?
Rob Barr: Well, I think. I think a few things. For one, the movie has a lot of layers to it. It has a lot of dimensions. A lot of it is multilayered, I hope. But, one thing that does come through is that Cabrini lived her life around what I would call transcendent values. Values that are not really politically left, politically right, politically centered. There, you can’t really track them in the way that we normally track our lives today, which is are you on my side or are you on their side? At least that’s how it is in America. It’s quite divided right now in America. I hope that a story like this about a woman like this can remind us that we actually do agree on certain transcendent values. And I would say that they are the dignity of the individual because by the ratings, we focused extraordinarily on the dignity and worth of every person,in this case, every immigrant. She considered them worthy. She considered them. Ultimately worthy of divine love and her love and help. And so hope, love, determination, which she showed. And dignity. I think these are things we actually do agree on, and they’re the things that I hope come across in the movie. And if people leave the theater with a little bit of a sense of, you know, right, left, center politically, we all can agree on these things. You know, we might be able to. Bring a little more hope back into our lives and into the product, the political process and and and our cultural process. So I would say that that would be an amazing result.
Congratulations to Rob and his team for telling Mother Cabrini’s story in such a beautiful way.
Watch the trailer here:
Main image: Angel Studios