Film on Mother Teresa to Premiere at Venice Film Festival

Acclaimed Macedonian filmmaker Teona Strugar Mitevska will premiere her latest feature, ‘Mother’, at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, running from August 27 to September 6. The film stars Swedish actress Noomi Rapace as Mother Teresa and explores a key moment in her life, set in Kolkata in 1948, shortly after World War II, just before she founded the Missionaries of Charity.

A significant portion of the film was shot in Kolkata in 2024, with scenes filmed at iconic locations such as Howrah Bridge, Kalighat, Kumartuli, and Loreto Convent, where Teresa once taught. The production received strong local support, with thanks extended to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the city’s film federation.

The international co-production includes collaborators from Belgium, Macedonia, Sweden, Denmark, and India, with Indian producers Prateek Bagi and Shaunak Sur involved in the Kolkata shoot. Initially envisioned as a documentary titled ‘Theresa and Me’, the project evolved into a full-length feature after extensive research revealed compelling untold aspects of Teresa’s early years.