Home / Arts and Entertainment / Scorsese Daughter's Directorial Debut on Faith and Grief
Scorsese Daughter's Directorial Debut on Faith and Grief
7 Dec, 2025
Summary
- Francesca Scorsese directed a Fox Nation series episode about Saint Carlo Acutis.
- She found filming the preserved body of the young saint deeply disturbing.
- Her faith wavered after witnessing her mother's struggle with Parkinson's disease.
Francesca Scorsese ventured into directing for her father Martin Scorsese's Fox Nation series, "Martin Scorsese Presents: The Saints," focusing on Saint Carlo Acutis, a devout Italian teen who died at 15. Scorsese found the prospect of filming Acutis's preserved body, displayed in Assisi, deeply unsettling due to its lifelike appearance. She ultimately decided against it, using only stock footage to maintain reverence.
Her personal journey with faith has been complex. While raised in a religious household, Scorsese's beliefs waned during her teenage years, particularly witnessing her mother Helen's struggle with Parkinson's disease. This experience led her to question why bad things happen to good people, causing a drift from her religious upbringing.
Despite some hesitation about working with Fox Nation due to its politics, Scorsese felt it was the only outlet supporting the project. She acknowledged her position as a "nepo-baby" but expressed honor and determination to perform well. Her upcoming project is a dark comedy short about her mother's childhood in Paris.
