Michael Jackson was a religious and prayerful man who read the Bible daily and was devoted to charitable works. He was a spiritual seeker and converted to Catholicism. The film “God’s Gift,” directed by Liana Marabini, portrays all the lesser known sides of the “King of Pop” and also restores Jackson’s “fame” and recalls how the artist was exonerated from all charges that turned out to be false.
The director and producer himself had this to say about the film:
– How did the idea for a film about a lesser known side of Michael Jackson – his faith – come about?
It’s really hard to explain. It was an inspiration. I read last June that even though he was completely acquitted of all charges in 2005, now that he has been dead for years and can no longer even defend himself, his “historic” accusers are coming back with new charges and complaints. Naturally, they are demanding a lot of money from his heirs. It seemed so unfair to me, so I started digging into Michael Jackson’s history and came across this side of his faith and it really intrigued me. I discovered that Michael was totally different in his everyday life, the exact opposite of what we see on stage. He was a very shy, complex, kind, charitable and very religious man. He thanked God for all his success, prayed every day, read the Bible and did a lot of charity work. He is the artist who has donated more to charity than anyone else in his lifetime. That amount is over half a billion dollars.
– Michael Jackson was originally a Jehovah’s Witness, his mother’s faith. What was the spiritual journey that led him to Catholicism?
The Jehovah’s Witnesses did not accept Michael’s worldwide fame as it went against their teachings and caused him a lot of hardship. They wrote him letters asking him to change his profession. As a Jehovah’s Witness, Michael frequently went door-to-door wherever he was, which is the Witnesses’ method of evangelism. Naturally, he was disguised so that he could not be recognized. People would often slam the door in his face. He said in an interview that this helped him develop humility.
– What fascinated the king of pop in the Catholic Church?
After leaving the Jehovah’s Witnesses organization in 1987, Michael began his spiritual search, reading the Torah and the Koran and studying Eastern philosophy. He eventually came to the conclusion that God is the same for everyone, we just have different views of Him. His first love for the Catholic Church came in 1988, when he visited the Eternal City for a concert. While visiting the city, he was attracted by the sound of Schubert’s “Ave Maria” coming from the Ponte Milvio Church and entered. There he had a conversation with a young deacon and was deeply impressed by a religion with such beautiful music. He was later impressed the same way when he tried his best to organize a concert at the Vatican. The proceeds were supposed to go towards the construction of a children’s hospital in Tirana, Albania. He had a great respect for Pope John Paul II, calling him “a beacon of light and hope.” Unfortunately, the Pope passed away and the concert never took place. This was also because legal problems began, even though the Pope was the victim of false accusations.
– His later years were marked by allegations of molestation of minors, which turned out to be unfounded. But the stigma of being an abuser remains. Can your film dispel this slanderous stigma?
I truly hope so. We all have a duty to fight against injustice. Defamatory accusations are a grave sin. In the film, I explained the great suffering this man had to undergo. He dedicated his life to making mankind happy. The motive was money. The accusers tried to obtain compensation out of court, but Jackson refused, and so the trial began. However, the jury found him not guilty of all charges on June 13, 2005. Nevertheless, the press and public opinion continued to slander him.
– Which actors did you choose for your film?
The lead actor, Joshua Consigli, was a real surprise to us. He is an extraordinary talent. We chose him from a field of 12 candidates. This was his film debut. He played this complex, multifaceted character so well that we offered him a role in our next film, Tulipomania, about the first ever financial crisis. There are a whopping 43 actors in the cast, including Rupert Wynne James, Kim Bourcos, Aaron McCarthy, Princess Maria Pia Ruspoli and Karin MacDonald, to name a few.
-This film was screened at the Cannes Film Festival. What was the response?
We are very pleased with the response from the public and the press. The film is already on sale and available on the Condor Pictures platform: https://www.condor-pictures.com/index.php/a-gift-from-god-the-film-2/
A portion of the proceeds from this film will be used to fund other projects depicting Michael Jackson’s love of books and culture. Projects could be documentaries, books, films, and more. Please email your project to our production company for selection. [email protected]
Jackson had a great library and was always reading, buying books wherever he went and spending hours in bookstores – this, too, as well as his deep religious beliefs, is a little-known side of his character that deserves to be revealed.
