Aspiring Pinay actress in Hollywood promotes documentary on John Paul II

An aspiring Filipina actress in Hollywood has returned to the Philippines to promote a documentary on the life of the late Pope John Paul II.

The 23-year-old actress Pam Tan, who is also the executive producer for Asia on the late pontiff’s biopic called "The Power of Faith," said she felt a personal connection to the film.

"This project is very important to me. I was moved by the film. It was very touching. It was about love and forgiveness and it transcends all religions," said Tan.

Produced by noted Hollywood player Robert Evans, who also brought to the screen such classics as "Chinatown" (1974), along with slick thrillers like "Sliver" (1993), "The Phantom" (1996), "The Saint" (1997) and "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" (2003), "The Power of Faith" highlights the late pope’s love and compassion and includes never-before-seen footage of the late pontiff visiting the prison cell of Mehemet Ali Agca, the Turkish gunman who tried to assassinate him in 1981.

The late Pope John Paul II was long a favorite of Filipinos, since his two previous visits to this country drew record crowds. He was reportedly considering a third trip before he passed away.

Tan said the 60-minute documentary is scheduled for release on Oct. 15, 2005 in both VCD and DVD formats. Tan said there is no plan at the moment to release the documentary for wide release in theaters. Tan said she and Evans became friends after meeting at one of Hollywood’s "red carpet" parties.

The VCD copy of "The Power of Faith" will be sold at P325 while the DVD copy will be sold at P1,200. Tan said that all proceeds from the sale of the documentary would be donated to charity and charitable institutions in the Philippines such as the cancer ward of the Philippine General Hospital.

Tan said the documentary was bankrolled by Evans in 1987 as a gift to Pope John Paul II. Evans financed the $1.5-million production of the film after he was commissioned by New Orleans Archbishop Philip Hannan.

"It was originally intended to be a special gift to Pope John Paul II but the Vatican later wanted the documentary to be viewed by the people," Tan said.

Interestingly, the single master copy of "The Power of Faith" was the only thing Evans managed to save from his Los Angeles home after it later caught fire.

Tan said she had become intensely involved in promoting the film, not only in the Philippines but also in the rest of Asia, following the successful recovery of her father from an almost-fatal brain aneurysm attack eight months ago in the United States.

According to Tan, she became deeply troubled by her father’s condition but later claimed to have found inner peace after watching "The Power of Faith." After being touched by the film, Tan decided that she needed to share the film’s message with others, especially Filipinos.

"Sometimes the hardest person to forgive is oneself. Perhaps through this film, we will remember how it feels to love again, to forgive and to believe in the power of faith," she said.