“Spotlight,” a real-life drama about a team of The Boston Globe journalists who reported about sex abuse in the Catholic Church, won Best Picture at the 88th Academy Awards on Sunday.
The movie also won best original screenplay.
“This film gave a voice to survivors, and this Oscar amplifies that voice, which we hope will become a choir that will resonate all the way to the Vatican,” said producer Michael Sugar.
“Pope Francis: it’s time to protect the children and restore the faith,” added Sugar.
Matt Carroll, one of the reporters of The Boston Globe, expressed hope that the movie will continue “to help victims for a long time to come.”
“Spotlight” had been praised as the most influential and critically acclaimed movie about journalism since “All The President’s Men” in 1976.
The movie dramatized the 2001-2002 The Boston Globe investigation that spurred some abuse survivors to come forward for the first time.
In 2001, Marty Baron, editor The Boston Globe, assigned a team of journalists to investigate allegations against John Geoghan, an unfrocked priest accused of molesting more than 80 boys.
Led by editor Walter “Robby” Robinson, reporters Michael Rezendes, Matt Carroll, and Sacha Pfeiffer interviewed victims and tried to unseal sensitive documents.
The reporters made it their mission to provide proof of a cover-up of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church.
In October 2015, Vatican Radio praised “Spotlight” for demonstrating “the inexhaustible and uncontainable force of the truth.”
Luca Pellegrini, an art and culture commentator for Vatican Radio, wrote that the movie director “never gives in to personal interpretation or falls into the trap of scandal.” He also hailed the “extraordinary performances” by actors Mark Ruffalo and Michael Keaton.
Pellegrini wrote that the Catholic Church should not be wary of a film about its past failures.
Sources
CNN
Crux
The Hollywood Reporter
The Guardian
Reuters
Image: AP/NPR