CARLO ACUTIS AT THE CINEMA: THE EVENT DATES HAVE ENDED, THE STORY REMAINS
Friends, family and previously unseen memories: Carlo Acutis. Il giovane santo was scheduled in Italian cinemas from 15 to 21 October. The event dates have ended; the film’s story remains here.
How do you tell the story of a saint who went to school, played video games and holidayed with friends? Director Luca Salmaso chose to listen to people who really knew Carlo. The film was scheduled on the big screen from 15 to 21 October 2026.
Set aside, for a moment, the grand celebrations, crowds in St Peter’s Square and portraits on basilica façades. Picture Carlo at home, at school, with classmates. This everyday teenager is where Carlo Acutis. Il giovane santo begins.
No actors: the people who were there speak
This is a documentary, bringing together family photographs, private footage and testimony. We hear from parents Andrea Acutis and Antonia Salzano, grandmother Luana, Rajesh Mohur, childhood friends Mattia and Jacopo, teacher Elisa Tattanelli and doctor Momcilo Jankovic, who cared for him in his final days.
Different voices, different memories bring us closer to the son, friend and pupil as well as the saint. Before canonisation and pilgrimages, Carlo was a fifteen-year-old boy.
To know Carlo, the director listens
Salmaso starts with the people and places of his life: his family, Milan parish and Assisi. The film explores Carlo’s humanity alongside his faith. Here is a boy of his time, at home with programming and the internet, looking towards what mattered most to him.
Valeria’s story reaches the screen, too
We meet Costa Rican student Valeria Vargas Valverde and her mother Liliana. In 2022 Valeria was seriously injured in an accident in Florence. Her mother went to Assisi to pray at Carlo’s tomb. The Catholic Church recognised the subsequent healing as a miracle attributed to his intercession, opening the way to canonisation.
The film lets the family tell this experience themselves. Listen to their story of suffering and hope for what it is, without turning it into a promise of healing for everyone.
A boy with Jesus at the centre
Carlo loved computers, animals and friends. Amid all that, he made a clear choice: Jesus at the centre of his life. Faith accompanied him at school, in friendships and in care for those in need.
The Eucharist and his wish to share Eucharistic miracles online tell the same story: a personal passion becomes something to give others.
Twenty years on, there is more to discover
Carlo died on 12 October 2006, aged fifteen, of an acute, rapidly progressing leukaemia. Pope Leo XIV canonised him in St Peter’s Square on 7 September 2025. Twenty years after his death, the film returns to the beginnings of a short life that keeps leaving a mark.
You may leave the cinema with a question: could holiness begin with our small, everyday choices?
The 15–21 October event dates have ended
Carlo Acutis. Il giovane santo was scheduled in Italian cinemas from 15 to 21 October 2026. Directed by Luca Salmaso, with original music by Remo Anzovino, it was produced by Officina della Comunicazione, Nexo Studios and OUR FILMS – A Mediawan Company. It opened the I Misteri della Fede cinema series.
The official website retains the film page and trailer. The event dates covered here have ended: check official channels directly for any new screenings or school initiatives, without assuming availability at individual cinemas.
Source: Nexo Studios ↗
