Some stories must be told...

Deacon Pedro

July 16, 2009
stoningofs...and that is one of the powers of media - I'm thinking of film specifically. I want to let you know about a wonderful new film by MPower Pictures that's coming out here in Canada this weekend: The Stoning of Soraya M. The film is about a woman who is accused of adultery in Iran and is based on a true story and adapted from the novel of the same name, by French-Iranian author Freidoune Sahebjam.
The Stoning stars Passion of the Christ actor, Jim Caviezel. It premiered last year at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it was the runner-up for the Audience Choice Award and was the second runner-up for the Cadillac People's Choice Award.
The film deals with a reality that many still face in many countries. Zahra (wonderfully played by Shohreh Aghdashloo, who played Elizabeth in The Nativity Story), must tell a foreign journalist about the horrible fate of her niece, Soraya (Mozhan Marnò), and the circumstances of her death the day before. Her story exposes the dark power of mob rule, uncivil law, and the lack of rights for women.
In a recent interview on Catholic Focus: Making Movies that Count, with producer Steve McAveety, we spoke about the film. In Steve's words, "the film is very much about good and evil." In the words of Zahra, their town was "visited by the devil himself."
Here are the upcoming release dates of The Stoning of Soraya M in Canada:
  • July 17 (this Friday!) in Toronto at Alliance Cumberland Cinemas and Cineplex Sheppard Centre Grande
  • July 24 in Montreal at AMC Forum 22
  • July 31st in Vancouver at Cinemark Tinseltown.
For more information on the film, resources and about the plight that many women face around the world, visit http://www.stoningparable.com/index.cfm
Some stories must be told... and some stories must be heard.