Fact sheet
Documentary Film: Carlo Acutis: Roadmap to Reality
- Logline: In a world losing itself to screens, teenage mystic Carlo Acutis saw beyond the social media-addicted society we live in and offered an answer… if we’re willing to listen.
- Carlo Acutis: Roadmap to Reality is a production of Castletown Media and Jim Wahlberg in association with the National Eucharistic Congress, Inc., and the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame.
- Directed, produced, and written by Tim Moriarty, CEO and Founder of Castletown Media, the film tells the story of the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint, Carlo Acutis.
- Carlo Acutis: Roadmap to Reality explores Carlo’s holy life and how he navigated the modern world. It also tackles urgent technology-related questions, examining how the virtual landscape threatens our fundamental understanding of what it means to be human.
- The film illustrates how Carlo Acutis is a saint for our times, showing us the way forward. He was a young man who used technology to foster genuine spiritual communion rooted in Christ. It also highlights his self-imposed moderation in using technology within a life, first and foremost devoted to God. For Carlo, technology was a tool to serve God, not an end in itself.
- Central to Carlo’s life and spirituality was his deep devotion to the Eucharist, which he viewed as the antidote to the discarnate nature of the virtual world. Carlo emphasized that the Eucharist, with its real presence and physical communion, serves as a critical anchoring reality. This idea starkly contrasts the often isolating and superficial interactions fostered by digital technology.
- Carlo Acutis: Roadmap to Reality features Carlo Acutis’ family and friends, including his mother and father, extended family members, babysitter, and some of his closest friends. They share their firsthand experiences of what this incredible boy was like and the impact he had on their lives.
- The film includes insights from well-known voices in the Catholic Church and technology experts, who offer a model for young people on how to properly use technology.
- It also explores the rich history of the Catholic approach to questions of technology, highlighting thinkers like Marshall McLuhan, who studied not just the content shared over electronic forms of communication but the effects they have on the human person and, by extension, society.
- The film also follows a group of high school students from North Dakota who embark on a two-week pilgrimage to Italy to visit Carlo’s tomb. They are required to disengage from technology and leave their phones at home. Their journey dives deep into the reality that Carlo points to: Christ in the Eucharist.
- Ultimately, the film paints a compelling portrait of Carlo as someone who provides a roadmap to reality, guiding us through the complexities of the digital age with faith and clarity.
Carlo Acutis
- Birth and Early Life: Carlo Acutis was born to Italian parents in London, UK, on May 3, 1991, and grew up in Milan, Italy.
- Early Devotion: Carlo’s parents were not active in their faith, but following his First Communion, Carlo developed an intense devotion to Christ, leading to a conversion and deep devotion to God in his parents and many others he encountered.
- Acts of Charity: Carlo’s life was marked by extraordinary acts of charity. He was known for his kindness, helping the homeless, and volunteering at soup kitchens.
- Mystical Life: From a young age, Carlo exhibited a deep mystical life, often spending hours in prayer and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
- Eucharistic Miracles: Carlo had a profound love for the Eucharist, which manifested in his fascination with Eucharistic Miracles. He dedicated himself to cataloging these miracles online to help others deepen their faith.
- Technology for Evangelization: Carlo was computer savvy and used his skills to create a website documenting Eucharistic Miracles, showing how technology can be used for evangelization.
- Battle with Leukemia: Carlo was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 15. Despite his illness, he offered his suffering for the Pope and the Church, showing remarkable faith and serenity.
- Death: Carlo Acutis died in Monza, Italy, on October 12, 2005, at the age of 15. His life and faith left a lasting impact on all who knew him.
- Beatification: Carlo was beatified on October 10, 2020, in Assisi, Italy. Many who had been inspired by his life and work attended his beatification.
- Canonization Announcement: On May 23, 2024, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis had recognized the second miracle necessary for Carlo to be named the Church’s first millennial saint, paving the way for his canonization.
Young People in the Digital Age
- Despite its many gifts, the digital revolution has largely left us adrift and untethered from reality, with no signs of stopping.
- Gen Z — people roughly between the ages of 12 and 27 — report the poorest mental health of any generation, according to a recent Gallup and Walton Family Foundation report.
- The American Academy of Pediatrics declared the mental health crisis among children and teens a national emergency.
- Before the COVID-19 pandemic, children ages 10 to 14 reported an average of 3.8 hours per day of screen time, excluding schoolwork. According to research published in JAMA Pediatrics, that figure rose to 7.7 hours per day during the pandemic.
- According to Pew, 97% of teenagers today use social media.
- 46% of teenagers report experiencing online bullying (Pew).
- In a world where we are more connected than ever, our tools of communication have paradoxically crafted a tapestry of isolation and mental illness. Recent CDC data found the following among high school students:
- 29% experience poor mental health
- 42% have persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness
- 22% have considered suicide
- 18% have made a suicide plan
- 10% have attempted suicide
Distribution
- Carlo Acutis: Roadmap to Reality will be distributed in select theatres across the United States by Fathom Entertainment from April 27 – 29 only.
Proceeds
- C3 Foundation will be donating its share of the revenue to charities and causes that help spread the message of Saint Carlo, and to help fund future National Eucharistic Congresses.
Castletown Media
- Castletown Media is an award-winning film studio and communications agency. Through compelling story-telling, Castletown engages the mind, transforms the heart, and inspires the soul.
- Castletown Media most recently produced:
- Jesus Thirsts: The Miracle of the Eucharist, a Spirit Filled Hearts film, which was the highest-grossing faith-based documentary of 2024.
- Mother Teresa: No Greater Love, a Knights of Columbus film, which was the highest-grossing faith-based documentary of 2022.
- Amidst a challenging landscape for the film industry at the box office, Castletown is demonstrating, through its success, that despite these trends, there is a robust audience with a growing desire for compelling faith-based content.
- To learn more about Castletown Media, visit CastletownMedia.com.