By Maria Esteves – January 20, 2014
THE JEWISH CARDINAL (Le Métis de Dieu), directed by Ilan Duran Cohen premiered during the 23rd New York Jewish Film Festival 2014 (NYJFF 2014) at the Walter Reade Theater, New York, Saturday, January 11, 2014. A special Q&A session immediately followed with director Cohen, moderated by associate curator director, Aviva Weintraub, New York Jewish Film Festival.

THE JEWISH CARDINAL (Le Métis de Dieu) is a spiritual tour de force based on the life of Jean-Marie Lustiger (September 1926 – August 2007) son of Polish-Jewish immigrants, who had a spiritual encounter with the living God at age 13 in 1940 in Orléans, France. Lustiger felt a sense of peace come upon him, he said, “I felt the most Jewish of Jews!” This compelling act of faith took him on a path to become a Roman Catholic priest to Bishop to Archbishop to Cardinal and an advisor to Pope John Paul II of Rome. It never cease to amaze me how throughout history time and time again the creator of the universe anoints and appoints his chosen people for such a time as this!

THE JEWISH CARDINAL (Le Métis de Dieu), directed by Ilan Duran Cohen | starring Laurent Lucas as Jean-Marie Lustiger and Aurélien Recoing as Jean-Paul II | Film Movement | France | 2013 | French with English subtitles | 90 min, 2013 New York Premiere: 23rd New York Jewish Film Festival. View Trailer http://youtu.be/zsycptpSwec

Jean-Marie Lustiger in France, May 8, 2007.