SW News: The film ‘Mother Teresa and Me’ premiered at a special screening in New York on September 5, the International Day of Charity, established by the United Nations to commemorate the death anniversary of St. Teresa of Calcutta.
The story follows Kavita, a young woman who experiences the challenges of an unanticipated pregnancy. She travels to her homeland India in a desperate attempt to have an abortion when her lover abandons her.
There, she meets an elderly caretaker, who tells her of Mother Teresa's formative years spent selflessly helping the needy on Calcutta's streets and Mother Teresa's narrative inspires her.
The film will open in 800 theatres throughout the United States on October 5. Meanwhile, both the Hindi and English dubs will hit Indian cinema halls on October 14.
Thierry Cagianut, the film's executive producer, said that he believes the film would inspire people all around the world to follow Mother Teresa's unselfish attitude and make the world a better place through their own acts of kindness.
According to Cagianut, the filmmakers set out to depict a period in Mother Teresa's life when she suffered difficulties and went through a spiritual crisis similar to that of other well-known saints such as John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila.
Cagianut believes that by seeing the film, people will have the same life-changing experience that Kavita had as a result of Mother Teresa. He hopes that all who view the film will be motivated by Mother Teresa to live their lives with more compassion, openness, awareness, and selflessness.
The film was totally supported by contributions made to the newly formed Zariya Foundation. This novel technique enabled all funds to be sent directly toward assisting the poor, rather than being used to settle any outstanding expenditures through ticket sales.
The film, directed by Kamal Musale and starring Banita Sandhu, Jacqueline Fritschi-Cornaz, and Deepti Naval, won the coveted "Best Film Award" at the Mirabile Dictu International Film Festival in Rome, beating out a pool of 2,000 applications.