Washington: The new feature film SLAVES AND KINGS produced by the Claretians and Stellarum Films and directed by Pablo Moreno is set to premiere in movie theaters nationwide on August 22 (English) and August 23 (Spanish). This is the first time that Fathom Events has released a full-length Catholic feature film through its distribution platform.

'Slaves & Kings', set in the 1800s, is a Spanish-produced film that brings to the screen the compelling story of Saint Anthony Mary Claret, a Spanish Roman Catholic Archbishop, writer and publisher, missionary, and confessor to Queen Isabella II of Spain. Declared a saint in 1950, Claret is the founder of the religious congregation of the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, known as the Claretians.  

'Slaves & Kings' is a hero movie for Christians, one that reminds us to find joy in every soul even when the powers of this world seem to conspire against us. St. Claret saw his role as that of a missionary, not a politician, and while his ministry involved providing for the material needs of the poor, the persecuted, and the enslaved, his primary role is the salvation of souls.

Interestingly, much of the film is based on the work of Azorín, the pseudonym of a 20th-century novelist and intellectual.

Without Azorín, St. Claret’s true story may have never been known. When the archbishop followed Queen Isabella into exile, he left a vacuum in Spain for his enemies to spread disinformation. His biographies were altered to include stories of infidelity to priestly celibacy, and his prolific writings were edited to be filled with errors and political radicalism.

For decades, this disinformation campaign succeeded through repetition in the streets and by intellectual elites — including Azorín himself, who only began to right the record after coming across original copies of St. Claret’s life and writings.

“We found his narrative, and found it very interesting,” Moreno said. “He discovered a lot of things.”

Now, the Spanish production company behind “Slaves & Kings,” Bosco Films, hopes it will be part of a cultural revival of the Catholic film industry. In April, Bosco organized a one-day release of “Alive,” a documentary about the Eucharist that screened in some 750 theaters around the U.S. on April 25. It was the seventh-most watched in the U.S. that day, no small feat for an upstart team of Catholic filmmakers.

That success, according to Bosco founder Lucia González-Barandiarán, has resulted in approximately 1,000 theaters around the country to screen “Slaves & Kings” this month.

González-Barandiarán says both films aim to accomplish what she calls the “Three Es”: elevate, educate, and entertain.

“After a while, you may not remember everything that was said in the movie,” she said. “But you remember the sensation it caused in you. That’s what keeps the movie alive in you. That’s the kind of cinema we want to bring.”

“We want to keep telling these kinds of stories, and we ask for help,” she added. “So we need small drops, small ambassadors to go see this movie.”