PRINCETON, NJ, July 24, 2023— Forging a new genre outside of the conventional documentary, award-winning author, filmmaker, and entrepreneur Robert Orlando blends science, history, and religion in his powerful upcoming film based on his book “The Shroud: Face to Face” published in Fall 2023.   After encountering conflicting opinions regarding one of Christendom’s most controversial and revered icons, Orlando’s own investigative and scholarly work draws him to the cross and the tomb, beckoning all seekers to join him as witnesses at a crime scene with unprecedented ramifications.
 

“The murder of Jesus of Nazareth, a carpenter from a small town outside Jerusalem, became the most historically debated crime scene in all recorded history,” explains Orlando.  “Not only do people debate the historicity of the event, but unlike most other crime scenes, there’s a religious element.  The murder of this simple carpenter somehow launches the largest most widespread religion of modern times.”
 

The storytelling style in both the book and documentary will feel familiar to fans of true crime television shows and podcasts, as the investigation digitally reconstructs key areas of the crime scene and examines the authenticity, timeline, and forensic value of a burial cloth and blood-stained imprint that has mysteriously survived centuries of war, natural disaster, and theft.  The shroud appears to provide natural evidence that ties the historical accounts of Jesus with modern science. At the same time, it is a relic that has puzzled scientists, photographers, scholars, and artists to this day.

“The Shroud: Face to Face” features engaging interviews with leading subject matter experts such as American historian and Professor at Princeton Theological Seminary Dr. Dale Allison, Dr. Cheryl White of the Shroud of Turin Education and Research Association, and Mark Goodacre, television director, New Testament scholar, and Professor at Duke University’s Department of Religion.  
 

Notable Catholic priests lend their voices to the project as well.  Renowned philosopher, educator, and speaker Fr. Robert Spitzer, SJ, of the Magis Center can be seen in the film along with Fr. Andrew Dalton, LC, STD, Professor of Theology at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome, who wrote the foreword for the book also endorsed by Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, MN.
 

“Robert Orlando does more than analyze an ancient archaeological object shrouded in mystery.  This sleuth, scholar, and storyteller almost irresistibly draws us toward a face-to-face encounter with the one who asks each of us, ‘Who do you say that I am?’ Whoever confronts this crime scene, this question, this face–believer or unbeliever–will never be the same,” says Fr. Dalton.
 

“The Shroud: Face to Face” offers viewers a special virtual re-creation of the tomb along with access to Turin Cathedral, the chapel in northern Italy built for the purpose of housing the sacred relic.  Other filming locations include Christ Cathedral in the Diocese of Orange, CA and Princeton University Library.
 

In partnership with Co-Producer Jason Pearson (Creative Marketing/Passion of the Christ) and Director Robert Orlando/Nexus Media, the film documentary will hit theaters in late 2023 in time for the holidays.  A complete press kit with behind the scenes footage, teasers, and exclusive interviews can be accessed at TheShroudFilm.com/presskit.  
 

To schedule an interview with Robert Orlando, contact Carrie Kline at carriek@revolutionizingmissions.com