It was the biggest concert I have ever attended. Italian dailies reported that there were some seven hundred thousand people who took part in it. Although it began around three in the afternoon, I was there from seven in the evening until one thirty in the morning. Live8 was one experience that will stay fresh in my heart for many years.
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Live8 Rome
Bob Geldof says that it is going to be the greatest concert ever. And I will be part of it. I am going to the Live8 concert this afternoon at Circus Maximus.
Star Wars Spirituality
This evening I went to the Warner Village in Piazza Repubblica to get a glimpse of the stars of Star Wars Episode III. I was actually hoping Natalie Portman (Padmé) would show up but it was fine that Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker) and Anthony Daniels ( C-3PO) were there to grace the premiere of the movie in Rome. What I truly love about the Star Wars films is that it does not only tell you a good story and show you smashing special effects, it also behooves you to ask questions about yourself and about your faith.
Awarding Ceremony & Gala Dinner
The awarding of festival prizes was held at 8:30 this evening. The Signis Award for best film in the Infinity Film Festival went to Catarina Ruivo’s debut film “Andrè Valente”. During the ceremony I was given the honor to hand out the award. “André Valente” is a film about an eight-year old Portuguese boy [...]
The Stone Garden and Other Films
When you are doing something you are passionate about you’d want to make fleeting moments last forever. In that respect, Darvich Khan Esfandiarpour, a deaf-mute since birth, is just like any other person. He is passionate about his garden and tends it with love and care every single day. What makes his garden different from [...]
The Art of Wine Drinking
After having my cappuccino ritual this morning, I watched “Ice Men”, a film about five childhood buddies whose lives were radically changed by a chain of unexpected happenings during a winter weekend getaway. It was one of the films I could watch without the need for subtitles. But after watching Latvian, Portuguese, Korean, Finnish, German, [...]
Virgin Stripped Bare By Her Bachelors & Three Other Films
This morning I watched two feature films. The first one was by Catarina Ruivo, a thirty something Portuguese film director. Entitled “Andre Valente”, her debut film is about an eight-year old boy who had to cope with a lot of painful separations – first from his father Joao, then from his girlfriend Susanna, and also [...]
Pakalnina & Fei
During lunch I was seated with Marina and Kamate, the two other members of the ecumenical jury. We shared the round table with 6 other people. We had lasagna for primo piatto and lamb steak as il secondo. Alban wine flowed like the Fontana de Trevi, which fired up our conversations. For dessert we had [...]
A Train Ride & Two Films
I prefer trains to airplanes. The only advantage of planes over railway cars is speed. What I particularly like about trains is the ample space it affords every passenger. If you want to have a feel about how tight a Guantanamo prison cell is, just take an economy class flight. But if you want to sit [...]
Infinity Film Festival
I love watching good films. Thus when I got invited to be one of the judges for a film festival, I immediately replied with a resounding YES. This morning I am leaving for Alba, Italy to be part of the ecumenical jury for the Infinity Film Festival. It is not just another film fest. The [...]
Follow Fr. Stephen, MSC
- Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)
- Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)
- Feast of the Sto. Niño (Year B)
- The Epiphany of the Lord (Year B)
- Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God (Year B)
