Papal diplomacy

Light from the Darkroom (2014)

Actors: Grant James (actor), Russell Wong (actor), Erin Grumley (miscellaneous crew), Gerardo Davila (actor), Ty Dickson (producer), Ty Dickson (miscellaneous crew), Steven Michael Quezada (actor), Darrell Ray Herman (actor), Lance McDaniel (director), Lance McDaniel (producer), Kohli Calhoun (miscellaneous crew), Patricia De Leon (actress), Sean Patrick Eaton (miscellaneous crew), Robert Grossman (actor), Beau Leland (editor),

Plot: When a religious pilgrimage turns into a massacre, Dr. Carmen Hill returns home to Panama City to comfort her best friend, Blanca Zamora, and find out what happened. An undeveloped roll of film arrives, providing the only clues to the massacre and forcing the women to confront their faith and fight for their lives.

Keywords: china, faith, panama, photography, suspense
Genres: Action, Drama, Thriller,

L'accordatore (2009)

Actors: Jon Freda (actor), Juan Leguizamón (editor), Tomax Aponte (producer), Tomax Aponte (director), Tomax Aponte (writer), Carmine Raspaolo (actor), Patrick DiRenna (producer), Elena Primost (producer), Julia Campanelli (actress), David Ebel (miscellaneous crew), Fulvio Della Volta (actor), Oscar Jasso (composer), Emanuele Nigro (actor), Scarlett Bermingham (actress), Randy Nkonoki-Ward (producer),

Genres: Drama, Mystery, Short, Thriller,
Taglines: Murder is Art in the hands of a Master - Donato

Noriega: God's Favorite (2000)

Actors: Romeo Rivera (actor), Richard Masur (actor), Tony Plana (actor), Jimmy Carter (actor), Michael De Mesa (actor), Dave Mallow (actor), Dick Israel (actor), Subas Herrero (actor), Jeffrey DeMunn (actor), Rez Cortez (actor), George Bush (actor), Jaime Fabregas (actor), Bob Hoskins (actor), Tom Todoroff (actor), Michael Sorich (actor),

Plot: The story of Panamanian general Manuel Antonio 'Tony' Noriega, whose meteoric career, from utter poverty, as a soldier and CIA informant who also served as source to various other powers and even the Colombian drug mafia he claims to fight valiantly to please CIA director and later U.S. president Bush Sr., starts when he confesses to a priest, reminiscing how he has experienced such luck that he believes himself to be God's favorite- each time he takes more risks people tell him he went too far, but always seems to get away with it. In his marriage, he is constantly unfaithful to Felicidad 'Fela', notably with his mistress Vicky Amador. After public opinion, domestic and U.S., was scandalize by the brutal torture, rape and decapitation of generally respected Dr. Hugo Spadafora, he sees to it that the blame goes to President Nicky Barletta, only one year in office. When he feels forced to destroy a drug lab of the Medellin cartel he accepted payment from, even Fidel Castro tells him a Latino in power can offend anyone, even Washington to a point, but never the grimly serious Colombians. Next Noriega wants his military adviser Colonel Roberto Diaz-Herrera as the next stooge, but refuses him the ambassadorship in Japan -promised to a cousin of his mistress who teaches judo- so Roberto starts his own sect and talks about their sale of visas and favors to the Colombian drug lords. It gets worse when US Colonel Oliver North tells him Irangate has pulled the plug on the whole Nicaraguan Contra-program, and a Florida prosecutor is pressing charges against Noriega for his part in the drugs trades. After Noriega ordered Major Moises Giroldi to forge the presidential elections by force under the eyes of observer Jimmy Carter, and once in office plays the nationalist card to get the people behind him against Washington, Giroldi offers his services to the Yankee gringos, and mounts a military coup, but allows Noriega to gain time till the loyal Mountain Division turns up, and surrenders because the coup leaders's families are taken hostage by Noriega's police chief, only to be tortured and sodomized themselves. Finally Bush orders a U.S. military invasion: military resistance is impossible, so Noriega seeks sanctuary at the papal nunciature...

Keywords: attempted-coup-d'état, bare-butt, based-on-true-story, brothel, corruption, decapitation, dictator, election-fraud, general, injection
Genres: Drama,

Quotes:

Manuel Noriega: You want some friendly advice? I suggest you kill yourself.::Major Giroldi: That is against my religion.::Manuel Noriega: [smiles unpleasantly] Then give me your weapon, and place yourself in God's hands...

Major Giroldi: With God and the gringos on our side, how can we fail?

Daens (1992)

Actors: Marilou Mermans (actress), Fred Van Kuyk (actor), Alex Wilequet (actor), Julien Schoenaerts (actor), Giovanni Di Benedetto (actor), Tadeusz Teodorczyk (actor), Johan Leysen (actor), Herbert Flack (actor), Vic Moeremans (actor), Leon Niemczyk (actor), Jan Decleir (actor), Ludwik Benoit (actor), Gérard Desarthe (actor), Maria Peters (producer), Jeanine Schevernels (actress),

Plot: In the 1890s, Father Adolf Daens goes to Aalst, a textile town where child labor is rife, pay and working conditions are horrible, the poor have no vote, and the Catholic church backs the petite bourgeoisie in oppressing workers. He writes a few columns for the Catholic paper, and soon workers are listening and the powerful are in an uproar. He's expelled from the Catholic party, so he starts the Christian Democrats and is elected to Parliament. After Rome disciplines him, he must choose between two callings, as priest and as champion of workers. In subplots, a courageous young woman falls in love with a socialist and survives a shop foreman's rape; children die; prelates play billiards.

Keywords: 1890s, 1900s, 19th-century, 20th-century, abandonment, alms, alost-belgium, arson, ban, band
Genres: Biography, Drama, History,