For the first time in history, the Vatican is aiming for an Oscar nomination with “Green Lava,” a 39-minute documentary recounting the life of Giacomo Mattivi. The 25-year-old Italian man suffers from Duchenne muscular dystrophy. His older brother had the same condition and died following a respiratory crisis.
“Giacomo was in the same room and saw him die. The documentary unflinchingly portrays that moment and the suffering it caused him, also aware that his own future is also marked by the disease. Yet, alongside death, there is also resurrection. In a way, that is the cross running through the entire story, because Giacomo finds the strength not to let himself be defeated and to keep moving forward,” Lia Beltrami, who co-directed the documentary with Ali Aksu, explained to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.
Giacomo Mattivi’s daily life
The production follows the daily life of this highly intelligent young man with exquisite sensitivity as he dreams of becoming a sociologist while not shying away from the progressive physical deterioration he has endured.
Over the course of more than two decades, the disease has caused him to lose much of his muscle strength. As a child, he could walk, but today he gets around in a wheelchair. He can barely move his hands and head, just enough to control the wheelchair. Furthermore, he needs to spend many hours connected to a ventilator.
The film “tells the story of a family raising two children with such a severe illness. The parents know their children’s lives will be marked by hardship and will likely be shorter. Even simple activities, like getting up in the morning, require hours of assistance,” Beltrami noted.
Faith and family: The only way to persevere
Despite the severity of the illness, Giacomo’s life is a testament to hope, which the documentary captures well by showing how faith has helped the family persevere. The young man is no longer afraid to face the end of his life head-on, and he has even found meaning in his brother’s death.
He is currently finishing his sociology studies and will dedicate his thesis to the subject of death. “He wants to talk about a reality that is taboo in our society, considering both what might lie beyond death and what happens before reaching it,” the Italian director explained.
The documentary was filmed in the Dolomites, the mountain range in northern Italy where Giacomo lives, and images of pine forests envelop the entire setting.
In fact, the title of the documentary, “Green Lava,” is no coincidence. “For Giacomo, the green of the pines is an essential pillar of his life, while the lava represents the force of a volcano. He feels like a volcano and needs that lava to remain forever alive, never to petrify,” Beltrami explained, evoking the idea that identity must undergo profound, sometimes strange and violent, changes in order to keep growing.
In Hollywood
Last week, the production was presented in Los Angeles as part of the process to qualify for Academy Award consideration. “Green Lava” was screened at the Lumiere Music Hall in Beverly Hills, California, Sept. 18–24.
The film was produced by the Vatican through the company Emotions to Generate Change in collaboration with Vatican News and Vatican Media.
The initiative marks the first time a production linked to the Holy See has entered the Oscars competition. However, “Green Lava” will not compete officially representing the Vatican.
The Best Documentary Short Subject category allows for the entry of independent productions and does not require formal backing from a government or national committee.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.