Winner of the Best Canadian Film Award at the Whistler Film Festival, The Papal Chase follows director Kenny Hotz's hilarious quest to meet the Pope. When a friend bets him $1,000 he can't meet the Pope during his 2001 visit to Toronto, Hotz accepts, figuring it will be an easy task. He soon discovers fake press credentials and charm can only get you so close to the world's most heavily guarded person. An irreverent story of faith, obsession, and one man's devout attempt to win the toughest bet of his life, The Papal Chase is as provocative as it is farcical.
Disguised in persona's that include a Brazilian priest, a gay Hispanic DJ, and Satan himself, Hotz ( Pitch , CBC's Kenny Vs. Spenny ) stretches the limits of freedom of speech during the 2001 World Youth Day celebrations, talking his way through millions of zealous pilgrims, annoyed cops, suspicious security guards, ominous snipers, and the international media. With a light touch, Hotz examines such issues as the power of faith and the existence of God. Absurd, hysterical, and often contentious, you can't help but pull for this self-proclaimed "Pope-arazzi" to come face to face with the closest man to God.
-Andrew Gurney
