New York :

A movie based on the miraculous apparitions of the Virgin of Guadalupe that took place in Mexico about 500 years ago, is all set to hit the theatres on February 22. The movie, ‘Guadalupe: Mother of Humanity’ will be released in the United States, Mexico, Central America, Puerto Rico, Bolivia and Chile. Eduardo Verastegui, the Mexican actor, producer and activist has extended an invitation to watch the powerful Marian movie.

Alluding to the traditional Nahuatl account of the Virgin Mary's apparitions, Verastegui said in a video, "I want to invite you to see Guadalupe: Mother of Humanity, a film that I am sure will touch your heart, with very faithful recreations of the Nican Mopohua." “When you come out of seeing it, your life will no longer be the same,” he added.

The movie, inspired by the true and original story of San Juan Diego, begins with a fictional recreation of the original story of the five apparitions of the Virgin in Guadalupe in 1531. It includes a documentary part with impressive testimonies directed by Spanish filmmaker Pablo Moreno. The film is 102 minutes long and has been shot in Mexico, Spain, the United States and Germany.

The film produced by Goya Producciones will be released on February 29 in Colombia, Peru and Uruguay while it can be seen from March 1 and in May, in Spain and Brazil respectively.

“With strong strokes the director, Andres Garrigo, shows us the dramatic history of pre-Hispanic Mexico, upon the arrival of the Spanish and how, after the apparitions of Guadalupe, the people abandon bloody human sacrifices and embrace Christianity,” states the producer in a note sent to Aci prensa.

The film features Angelica Chong as the Virgin of Guadalupe, Mario Alberto Hernandez as Saint Juan Diego, Mexican actress Karyme Lozano as the presenter and TV host Pepe Alonso as the narrator. The Los Angeles Archbishop Mons. Jose H. Gomez also participates in the film.

With the aid of technology, the movie also presents the hidden messages in the ‘Tilma,’ the miraculous cloth in which the image of the Virgin was captured, the human images that appear in her eyes and the meaning of the stars and other drawings on the mantle.

“With this film, we set ourselves very high goals: to recreate in the hearts of people today the wonderful effect that the apparitions of the Virgin of Guadalupe had 500 years ago. We can now offer many the joy of reliving them,” says Garrigo.