''The Papal Chase'' is a 2004 Canadian micro-budget feature-length guerrilla-style

mockumentary A mockumentary (a blend of ''mock'' and ''documentary''), fake documentary or docu-comedy is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events but presented as a documentary. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on c ...

directed by

Kenny Hotz Kenneth Joel Hotz (born May 3, 1967) is a Canadian comedy writer, producer, entertainer and television personality. He is best known as the star of the reality comedy show '' Kenny vs. Spenny'' alongside Spencer Rice. Hotz is the creator of the ...

of '' Kenny vs. Spenny'' fame, and written by Hotz and Paul Johnson. The film features cameo appearances by

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

Keith Richards Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943), often referred to during the 1960s and 1970s as "Keith Richard", is an English musician and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-princi ...

, and

Ronnie Wood Ronald David Wood (born 1 June 1947) is an English rock musician, best known as an official member of the Rolling Stones since 1975, as well as a member of Faces and the Jeff Beck Group. Wood began his career in 1964, playing guitar with a ...

, as well as footage of Toronto mayoral candidate Kevin Clarke. It is also the only comedy feature that has an appearance by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

. Among its awards, the film won the Phillip Borsos Award for Best Canadian Feature Film at the 2004

Whistler Film Festival The Whistler Film Festival (WFF) is an annual film festival held in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. Established in 2001, the festival is held the first weekend of December and includes juried competitive sections, the Borsos Awards, and the Pand ...

, and won 'Best Documentary' at the 2005 Canadian Filmmakers' Festival.

Plot

When

is visiting

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

in 2002,

's friend Paul bets him $1000 that Kenny (who is

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

ish) can't meet him. Over the course of six days, Kenny wears various disguises and makes multiple efforts to meet the pope in order to win the bet. Kenny's attempts include becoming a "Pope-arazzi", fighting his way through millions of pilgrims and onlookers, thousands of cops, security guards,

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

Special Forces, and precision snipers. Along the way, Kenny crosses paths with various members of

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...

Cast

as himself * Sebastian Cluer as himself *

as himself *

as himself (Cameo) *

as himself (Cameo)

Release

The film debuted on December 2, 2004, at the

and had its US premiere at the

Brooklyn International Film Festival The Brooklyn Film Festival (BFF), prior to 2011 called the Brooklyn International Film Festival (BiFF) is an independent film festival held every June in Brooklyn, New York. Started by Marco Ursino, Susan Mackell, Abe Schrager, and Mario Pegoraro ...

in June 2005.

Recognition

Reception

Awards and nominations

* 2004, won

Borsos Competition The Borsos Competition is the main awards program for Canadian feature films screening at the annual Whistler Film Festival. Introduced for the first time in 2004, the juried competition presents six awards annually to honour films, actors, screenpl ...

Award for Best Canadian Feature Film at

* 2005, won audience award for 'Best Documentary' at Canadian Filmmakers' Festival * 2005, won audience award for 'Best Film' at Canadian Filmmakers' Festival for Kenny Hotz * 2005, won audience award for 'Best Documentary' at

* 2005, won audience award for 'Documentary' at Brooklyn International Film Festival for Kenny Hotz

References

External links

''The Papal Chase'' on itunes

Official page of film on producer's website
where the film can be watched * *
''The Papal Chase'' Pilot on Kenny Hotz's Official channel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Papal Chase, The 2004 films Canadian mockumentary films Films about Pope John Paul II 2004 documentary films English-language Canadian films 2000s English-language films 2000s Canadian films English-language documentary films