Green Lava is a Vatican-collaborative documentary short following Giacomo Mattivi, a 22-year-old Italian living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Its screenings in Beverly Hills from September 18–24 mark a qualification step for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film, while presenting Mattivi’s life, faith, creativity, and community as sources of hope and inclusion. 1

The film’s Oscar-qualification journey

The documentary is being screened at the Lumiere Music Hall in Beverly Hills, allowing it to begin the qualifying process for the Oscars. It was directed by Lia Beltrami and Ali Aksu, produced by Emotions to Generate Change, and made in collaboration with Vatican News, Vatican Radio, and Vatican Media. 1

The Italian-language film, presented with English subtitles, premiered in Rome on January 25, 2025, during the Jubilee of the World of Communications. Its Hollywood screening extends a project that had already received support and visibility through Vatican media. 1

Giacomo Mattivi’s life and creativity

Mattivi comes from Baselga di Piné in the province of Trento and lives with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. He uses a wheelchair and ventilator, but his identity in the film is framed through his activities and relationships rather than solely through his illness. 1

He studies sociology, works as a catechist, writes poetry, and is interested in cinema, music, and nature. His daily life also includes spending time with friends and family, playing football, and running a small egg-selling business. 1

Mattivi’s brother, Mattia, died from the same condition in January 2022. The family responded by deepening its engagement with the wider community through the Shemà social-promotion association and the Casa Iride project, which support young people and promote welcome, inclusion, and peace education in Baselga di Piné. 1

From Vatican podcast to documentary

Mattivi’s story was previously explored in a five-part Vatican Radio–Vatican News podcast released in 2024. The series examined how poetry, music, faith, disability, and the loss of his brother shaped his creativity and openness to others. 1

The documentary develops those same themes through film, presenting Mattivi’s experiences alongside the life of his family and the community of the Piné Plateau. 1

A message centered on hope and fraternity

Mattivi describes the Oscar-qualification opportunity primarily as a way to reach a larger audience rather than as a personal accomplishment. He says the film can encourage viewers to recognize the best in themselves amid uncertainty and global tensions. 1

He also connects the documentary with Pope Francis’ appeals for fraternity, community, and care for creation, expressing the hope that the late pope’s legacy will continue through the film. 1

For Mattivi, illness can be understood not only as a hardship but also as a different vantage point from which to consider suffering, the workings of the world, and the human capacity to continue moving forward. He compares this resilience with nature’s ability to reclaim and renew its space. 1

The filmmakers’ perspective

Director Lia Beltrami characterizes the film as a demanding project shaped by Mattivi’s strength, joy, and inner depth. She presents the lives of Giacomo, his brother Mattia, and their community as examples of authenticity, solidarity, and faith in practice. 1

Co-director and producer Ali Aksu says the project reflects his commitment to bringing lesser-known stories to wider audiences through socially purposeful storytelling. 1

Paolo Ruffini’s description of the film

Paolo Ruffini, prefect of the Dicastery for Communication, recalls Mattivi’s observation that people wearing glasses understand the difficulty of seeing when their lenses fog up. Ruffini uses that image to describe Green Lava as a film that helps clear distorted or limited ways of seeing. 1

He describes the documentary as an emotionally powerful journey into the beauty of life and friendship. In his account, the film’s path toward the Oscars is secondary to its ability to present vulnerability as a source of hope and to encourage people not to give up. 1