Furgione Graduates Rome Film School with Honours

by Admin · March 3, 2026

Tommaso Furgione

By Rachele Hochhausler – Tommaso Furgione, a former pupil of CBC Mount Edmund Pretoria and then St John’s Parklands Cape Town, has graduated summa cum laude in Film Directing and Production at a university in Rome, marking an important academic and spiritual milestone in his journey as a filmmaker.

A new way of making films

His thesis, titled Self-Sustaining Cinema and Faith as a Creative Engine: The Case of The Chosen and the Birth of a New Model of Christian Participatory Production, explores the emergence of an innovative production model rooted in community support, clear mission, and a shared spiritual vision.

Through an in-depth analysis of “The Chosen”, Furgione highlights the immense potential of filmmaking as a tool for evangelisation in the contemporary world:
“Filmmaking represents one of the forms of evangelisation with the greatest potential in today’s cultural landscape. The Bible is the greatest source of historical storytelling in existence, offering inexhaustible stories and infinite inspiration for a new generation of filmmakers.”

Faith-based filmmaking

According to Furgione, the data and case study confirm that faith-based filmmaking is not merely a niche genre, but one of the most effective forms of digital evangelisation today—capable of moving beyond purely commercial market logic:
“A project founded on a clear mission and a shared vision can overcome economic and structural obstacles.”

God is the true producer

For him, however, the goal is not simply to rely on a large faith-based audience for financial backing. The deeper purpose lies elsewhere:
“It is important to undertake this path not with exclusively commercial aims, merely trusting in the existence of a large supporting community, but rather with the intention of using the strength of a wide and participatory community to reach the ends of the earth with the most meaningful message: that God is the true producer.”

In a society increasingly immersed in a virtual reality shaped by social media and digital narratives, Furgione stresses the urgency of a renewed, authentic digital evangelisation:
“We must not demonise these tools, but use them in coherence with truth, orienting them toward the good.”

Seeking Refuge

He observes that many people today are anaesthetised by superficial perceptions of reality and often seek refuge in digital spaces. Yet the Christian message speaks directly into this condition:
“The Christian message affirms that even in suffering there is love, and that precisely in suffering, God never abandons man.”
For Furgione, the filmmaker of the future—especially one walking a spiritual path—has a clear mission: to awaken hope and courage, encouraging individuals to fully embrace reality rather than escape into a manipulated or distorted virtual dimension.

Echoing the Holy Father’s encouragement to those working in cinema, he emphasises that artists are called to represent beauty and, through beauty, truth—offering themselves as instruments for the diffusion of truth through creativity.

He concludes his thesis with a statement that encapsulates both his academic research and his personal conviction:

“Of one thing I am certain: such a complex project would not be possible without the presence of Divine Providence, which precedes every step and requires faith.
God is the true producer.”