Director Felt ‘Called to Make’ SOUND OF FREEDOM and CABRINI

Published: December 9, 2024

Director Felt ‘Called to Make’ SOUND OF FREEDOM and CABRINI

By Movieguide® Contributor

SOUND OF FREEDOM and CABRINI filmmaker Alejandro Monteverde says he felt “called to make” those movies.

“When they sent me the script [CABRINI], I first said, ‘I’m not going to make a movie about a nun. There’s no way. How can you make a movie about a nun that is entertaining and cinematic?’” he said during an appearance on “The Storytellers With Andrew Erwin.” “But when I read the script — the script really was her story — it’s powerful. It’s [a story] about a woman that happens to be a nun, but it’s a universal story.”

CABRINI tells the true story of Francesca Cabrini, who witnesses the poverty of those living in New York and “embarks on a daring journey to persuade the hostile mayor to provide housing and healthcare for hundreds of orphaned children,” per IMDb.

READ MORE: CABRINI REVIEW

“She doesn’t preach her faith; she acts her faith,” Monteverde explained. “She’s constantly fighting for those without dignity, and she was a revolutionary.”

The director shared he felt called to make CABRIN.

“I always say there are two kinds of films in my life: the ones I want to make and the ones I’m called to make…all the rest of the movies I’ve done so far are callings,” he said. “I didn’t look for the movie; the movie kind of found me.”

Monteverde continued, “I felt the same thing with SOUND OF FREEDOM. I never woke up and said, ‘I want to make a movie about child trafficking’…I saw a news report, and I woke up the next day and said, ‘I have to do something about that,’ and that’s how it started.”

“I want to make movies that begin when the movie ends. When the movie ends, really the movie begins,” he concluded. “It leaves you in a state of reflection.”

Monteverde is currently working on BETHLEHEM, an Angel Studios project that will tell the story of Herod’s slaughter of the innocents in Bethlehem. It’s expected to premiere in 2025.

“When I first met Alejandro and experienced his passion for filmmaking, I felt like I had just encountered the next Frank Capra,” Jordan Harmon, president of Angel Studios, said in a statement given to Deadline. “His approach to sharing stories is always unique, accessible, and powerful. I am thrilled to experience firsthand how he is bringing the story of BETHLEHEM to life. We are honored to share his art and his passion for filmmaking with the world.”