Liberating a Continent: John Paul II and the Fall of Communism
"Liberating a Continent" is about the role Pope John Paul II played in the demise of the Soviet Union, in particular communism in Poland. It argues that John Paul II's 1979 visit to Poland was a critical event leading to the fall of the Berlin Wall and ultimately the dissolution of the U.S.S.R. It theorizes that John Paul engendered a "revolution of conscience" which ultimately caused the collapse of the Soviet Union. David Naglieri said, regarding the film, that "the reason we set out to make this film is to kind of cement the legacy of Pope John Paul II. "
Jim Caviezel stated that John Paul II had influenced his career tremendously, remarking that he probably never would have played Jesus Christ in Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" if it weren't for John Paul II. Caviezel actually had an audience with the Pope in 2004 before the release of "The Passion". He also talked about his audience with the Pope in an interview with Craig Ferguson. "Liberating a Continent" premiered on December 6, 2015 at the Copernicus Center in Chicago, IL. It later aired on public television, but had no theatrical release. Critically, the documentary was almost exclusively covered by Catholic or Christian news outlets, presumably due to its unobjectively Catholic perspective. "Liberating a Continent" was nominated for and won several awards.
Synopsis
Liberating a Continent: John Paul II and the Fall of Communism is a David Naglieri documentary about the role John Paul II played in the demise of the U.S.S.R., the end of Communism in Poland, and lifting the iron curtain.