New Film About the 'Holy Clown' of Guatemala City

Christian Reformed World Missions (CRWM) is partnering with the Guiding Light Mission in Grand Rapids, Mich. and the film production company Athentikos to promote the launch of the new documentary, Becoming Fools.

Opening in Grand Rapids, Mich. on March 5, Becoming Fools features the legacy of Italo Castro, a professional clown who died suddenly in 2011. Before that, he had become a father figure to countless street youth in Guatemala City.

The film will launch at 7 p.m. on March 5 at Celebration! Cinema North in Grand Rapids, and at 7 p.m. on March 6.m. at Celebration! RiverTown in Grandville. So far, other screenings have been set for Sioux Center, Iowa, and Sarasota, Fla.

Becoming Fools was made by Athenikos, the same company which in 2010 released Reparando, a documentary capturing the work of Shorty and Tita, two Guatemalan leaders with the Strategy of Transformation (EdT in Spanish). Reparando is now available on Amazon or Hulu or can be downloaded from Athentikos.

Through CRWM and CRWM missionary Joel Van Dyke, the Christian Reformed Church supports Guatemalan leaders seeking to share Jesus' love and grace with at-risk youth in Guatemala City.

Before he accidentally drowned in February 2011, filmmakers had taken some preliminary footage of Castro. They then planned to follow him as he fulfilled his calling as a clown helping the youth rise out of lives of drugs and despair. 

He had dedicated more than 10 years of his life to working with many of the children and youth that live on the streets of Guatemala City, even dreaming of one day running a clown school for street kids.

Some of the early footage showed Castro, with a painted face and wearing colorful clothes, stopping to speak to swarms of kids about clowning and perhaps one day becoming a clown themselves.

He was a “holy clown,” modeling for them the new life that they could have as a follower of Christ, said those who knew him.

After Castro drowned while swimming in a lake, his death left a hole in the hearts of many young people, seeming to derail plans for the documentary.

Young people rallied, however, and put on a theatrical production in Castro’s honor and other clowns and entertainers in Guatemala City began to pick up where Italo had left off, mentoring the street kids who wanted to move ahead with their clowning and artistic expression. They want to become holy clowns in the tradition of Castro.

This inspired filmmakers Scott Moore and Bobby Marko of Athentikos to continue with the project.

Despite the need to raise funds to complete the documentary, they came to the conclusion that “Italo had taken a risk with his life which inspired us to in turn take a risk in moving ahead to get the film done,” said Marko.

Taking a risk like this may sound foolish but Italo was considered “foolish” for his work with young people whom much of Guatemalan society ignores and even despises.

“We may seem foolish, but we believe this is a story rooted in the Gospel and one that will make a huge impact in countless lives. We will rely on God to provide for us over time,” said Moore during an interview two years ago at the CRC office in Grand Rapids.

In 2010, Athenikos released Reparando, the documentary capturing the work of the EdT, a strategic alliance formed and directed by Joel Van Dyke between CRWM and the Center for Transforming Mission.

The EdT mobilizes and nurtures missional communities of grassroots leaders who serve high-risk populations in hard places.

Van Dyke played an integral role in helping to craft the story for Reparando and threw his support behind Becoming Fools.

“This will be a film about ordinary people doing extraordinary things in an incredible place,” says Moore.

Also playing a role in supporting the U.S. screening tour will be AMG International, a Christian missionary agency that serves in over 30 countries around the world.

Becoming Fools audiences will be given opportunities to respond through AMG’s Bridge to Life initiative, which protects at-risk youth from 3 years old to young adulthood, says the Athentikos website.