It is commonly recognized that the standard fare in today’s film industry is at best non-religious, if not in fact irreligious. Exceptions are rare and to be celebrated. If they are not already acquainted with it, readers of this column will welcome this introduction to Bongiorno Productions (www.BongiornoProductions.com) and find its creative use of the genre to be informative, edifying, and inspiring.
As its website indicates, the husband-and-wife team of Marylou and Jerome Bongiorno have produced numerous fictional, documentary, art, and experimental films and screenplays with a wide distribution for theatres, national PBS series, foreign TV, and museums.
Several years ago these two filmmakers won national acclaim for their highly recommended documentary, “The Rule”, an account of St. Benedict’s School in Newark, New Jersey (also referred to as Newark Abbey). This uplifting film offers great hope for educators committed to effective and excellent education for disadvantaged inner-city youth. Once they view this readily available work, graduates of Benedictine schools around the country will certainly be proud of what the Benedictine ‘Rule” has accomplished among the many challenges that beset residents of New Jersey’s largest city.
At present Bongiorno Productions is working on films featuring the lives of two American saints,
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and St. Frances Xavier Cabrini. If these exhibit the same levels of mastery and sensitivity as the previous Bongiorno works, viewers will be both gratified and well-informed.
May Bongiorno Productions continue its elevation of the genre.