With the October 12 feast day of St. Carlo Acutis approaching, Catholic schools and parishes nationwide are turning to a groundbreaking new film to help young people navigate the digital noise of modern culture.
In a recent interview on EWTN Radio, David DiCerto, producer of Carlo Acutis: Roadmap to Reality, discussed the film’s message, its record-breaking box office success, and how local communities can easily host their own feast day screenings.
The documentary — the highest-grossing faith-based documentary in U.S. theatrical history —follows 150 North Dakota Catholic high school students who leave their technology behind on a pilgrimage to Italy.
A Saint for the Screen Age
Born in 1991, the year the internet aka the world wide web launched, Carlo was a tech-savvy teen who used his skills to catalog Eucharistic miracles while maintaining a disciplined life of prayer and self-restraint. Known as ‘God’s Influencer,’ his life offers a direct counter-cultural antidote to today's screen-obsessed culture.
“Chesterton said that God does not give every age the same saint; He gives each age the saint that it needs as an answer or an antidote for the problems that ail that particular age,” DiCerto shared. “In making this film, we really felt that Carlo was that antidote.”
While social media often pushes teenagers toward hyper-conformity, Acutis famously observed that “we are all born originals, but many of us die copies.”
“What St. Carlo suggests is that if you’re going to copy anything, don’t copy what’s fashionable — copy the ultimate source and summit of reality, which is Christ. Social media promises connection, which is a much diluted version of what the human heart really wants: communion.”
‘The Less Digital They Became, The More Real They Became’
The core of the documentary captures what happens when teenagers step away from their devices and enter into authentic relationships and real-world encounters.
“We had the pleasure of revisiting them a few months later back in North Dakota,” DiCerto recalled of the high school pilgrims featured in the film. “What was so heartening was that... many shared that it was a truly transformative experience that permanently changed their relationship with tech. As one priest in the film puts it: ‘The less digital they became, the more real they became.’”
Turnkey Feast Day Screenings for Local Communities
To help educators and parish leaders spark these crucial conversations, distributor Credo Studio has created an effortless, web-based screening model for schools, youth groups, and parishes:
Classroom & Youth Screening ($99 Flat Rate): Covers audiences up to 99 viewers and includes a companion study guide developed in partnership with the University of Notre Dame’s McGrath Institute.
Community & Parish Licensing: Tiered options for larger church-wide assemblies or school auditoriums.
50/50 Fundraising Model: A ticketed screening setup where 50% of ticket sales go directly back to the host school or parish.
“We never produced the film to just be a one-off screening experience; we really wanted it to be a jumping-off point for a much larger conversation,” DiCerto emphasized.
How to Host a Screening
Setting up an event takes only a few minutes. Organizers can visit CredoStudios.com, select ‘Host a Screening,’ and instantly access downloadable HD film links, discussion guides, and promotional toolkits.