November 1 is the day the Catholic Church celebrates all the saints—canonized or not—and it is a reminder that there is an entire heavenly army waiting to help us with their example and prayers. While photos, biographies, and their personal writings can bring us closer to them, films can also be extremely helpful, so we are fortunate that much talent has been poured into putting their lives on the big screen. Here is a list (in no particular order) of twenty-two saint movies to watch for your own inspiration.
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I think Cabrini may be the best saint movie yet. The writing, the acting, the soundtrack, and the cinematography are all unparalleled in this wonderfully crafted film on America’s first saint, the beloved St. Frances Cabrini, as she strove to found an empire of hope in the Italian slums of nineteenth-century New York. It can be found on most streaming platforms.
2. Triumph of the Heart, 2025 (1:51)
Written and directed by Anthony D’Ambrosio, this film follows the heroic martyrdom of St. Maximilian Kolbe and his fellow prisoners during WWII. It is an intense but beautiful story about hope triumphing over darkness. It can be watched on Formed.
3. St. Giuseppe Moscati: Doctor to the Poor, 2007 (2:56)
This is the kind of movie that can be watched over and over again. With its lovely setting, a beautiful soundtrack, absolutely lovable characters, it has an overall feeling one can only describe as cozy. Moscati, a doctor who died in 1927, spent his life devoted to the sick, especially the poorest of his patients. The movie can be found on Formed.
4. Pius XII: Under the Roman Sky, 2010 (3:09)
Set in the papacy of the Venerable Pope Pius XII in the Second World War, Under the Roman Sky follows the lives of Jewish Italians as the Pontiff struggles to protect them and his own clergy from Nazi Germany. The movie can be viewed on Formed as well as Prime Video.
5. Saint Pedro Poveda: Priest, Educator, and Martyr (Povedo), 2016 (1:56)
Follow St. Pedro Poveda in this beautifully filmed account of his life as he sparks outrage and inspiration for his work among the cave dwellers of Gaudix, Spain, in the beginning of the twentieth century. The film can be viewed on Formed.
6. A Forbidden God (Un Dios prohibido), 2013 (2:13)
Witness the hair-raising confinement and heroic martyrdom of thirty-nine seminarians and their superiors in Barbastro during the upheavals of the Spanish Civil War in 1936. The film is available on the Claretian Missionaries website in English, Spanish, Italian, and French.
5. Saint Philip Neri: I Prefer Heaven, 2010 (3:39)
From the same director who gave us St. Giuseppe Moscati: Doctor to the Poor, this film about St. Philip Neri is an enchanting look into the life of the “Apostle of Rome.” The Don Bosco of the sixteenth century, St. Philip Neri took wayward and homeless youth under his wing, established his famous oratory, and inspired them all with his joyful spirituality. The film can be found on Formed.
6. For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada, 2012 (2:25)
This movie—starring Andy Garcia, Oscar Isaac, and Eduardo Verástegui, among others—is not about one particular saint but the many men and women, including Anacleto Gonzales Flores and Jose Luis Sanchez, who struggled and died in the Cristero Wars of Mexico in the 1920s. While not available on Formed, it can be watched on most streaming platforms.
Starring Ben Gazzara, this film is a delightful telling of the story of Don Bosco, founder of the Salesian order and beloved father of youth lost on the streets of Italy in the nineteenth-century. Don Bosco is available on Formed.
Karol: A Man Who Became Pope shows the young Karol Wojtyla journey from his early life as an actor to becoming a priest and then Cardinal. In Karol: The Pope, the Man, Cardinal Wojtyla becomes Pope John Paul II. Both be watched on Formed.
9. Clare and Francis, 2007 (3:18)
A fitting choice to watch in the year of St. Francis, this wonderfully crafted movie follows the lives of two giants of the Catholic Church in Assisi. Their actions are intertwined from the beginning of the film, as both leave the wealthy nobility to follow their calling and found the Franciscan Order and the Poor Clares. It runs on Formed.
10. St. Anthony: Miracle Worker of Padua, 2002 (1:42)
Another giant of Catholic history, St. Anthony was a contemporary of St. Francis and an early follower of his. This well-made film brings to life one who is, arguably, the most popular intercessor and one of the most famous miracle workers of all the saints. You can find it on Formed.
11. The Missionary of St. Joseph: Blessed Petra of St. Joseph, 2021 (1:41)
From the creators of Poveda comes this charming movie about the little-known nineteenth-century Blessed who received more than one visit from St. Joseph. She devoted her life to the abandoned poor of Spain and founded the Congregation of Mothers of the Helpless. You can find it on Formed.
12. Padre Pio: Miracle Man, 2000 (3:22)
The Miracle Man of Pietrelcina was a giant of the twentieth-century, a stigmatist persecuted by superiors and the devil himself, but above all, he was a humble Capuchin friar. The film gives a detailed account of his life from his childhood to his entrance into the order to his death in 1968. It is available through Formed and Prime Video.
“Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”
13. Slaves and Kings: The Story of St. Anthony Mary Claret, 2022 (1:59)
This film is about St. Anthony Mary Claret, the nineteenth-century archbishop, founder of the Claretians, confessor to the Queen of Spain, father of Cuba, and renowned writer and publisher. It may be watched on Formed and other streaming services.
14. The Reluctant Saint, 1962 (1:45)
This heartwarming, black-and-white oldie tells the story of St. Giuseppe of Cupertino, the flying Franciscan friar and beloved patron saint of test-takers. It may be viewed on Formed.
15. Blessed Duns Scotus: Defender of the Immaculate Conception, 2011 (1:23)
Blessed Duns Scotus won a debate in the thirteenth century that was pivotal in defending and defining the dogma of Our Lady’s Immaculate Conception. He was later exiled from his own country because he defended the papacy. It may be watched on Formed.
16. Mother Teresa, 2003 (1:50)
Olivia Hussey stars as Mother Teresa of Calcutta in this drama showcasing the saint’s childhood, entrance into religious life, the founding of her order and her work among the untouchables in India, her reception of the Nobel Peace Prize, and eventually her death in 1997. It can be viewed on Formed and Prime Video.
17. Saint Rita (Rita da Cascia), 2004 (3:23)
This three-hour drama follows the life of St. Rita of Cascia, patroness of hopeless situations. Her marriage into the Italian mafia family of the renaissance era, the Mancinis, and her unconditional love for her wayward husband tells a tale of undying perseverance which brought about his conversion. Saint Rita may be watched on Formed.
18. Molokai: The Story of Father Damien, 1999 (1:57)
This movie tells the story of Fr. Damien, the fearless priest who gave his life to take care of the lepers on Molokai when no one else would. The film also features the Servant of God, Joseph Dutton. It is found on Prime Video and other streaming platforms.
Starring Richard Burton and Peter O’Toole, this excellent film follows the friendship, betrayal, and tragedy between St. Thomas Becket and King Henry II of England. The film can be watched on Prime Video.
20. Bakhita: From Slave to Saint, 2009 (3:17)
Written and directed by the talented Giacomo Campiotti, Bakhita showcases the life of the African slave who is rescued by a wealthy Italian family. She undergoes abuse, converts to the Catholic faith, and comes to be an inspiration to all those around her despite their cruel treatment of her. It runs on Formed.
21. Bernadette, Part One, 1988 (1:59) and Part Two, 1990 (1:46)
Bernadette (1988) tells the story of Bernadette Soubirous’s visions of Our Lady in nineteenth-century Lourdes, France. The Passion of Bernadette (1990) follows her life and suffering in the convent as Sr. Marie Bernard. Both can be found on Formed, while part two can also be found on Prime Video under Bernadette (1989).
22. The Song of Bernadette, 1943 (2:36)
An classic adaptation of the beloved visionary’s life, The Song of Bernadette is a beloved black-and-white saint movie. This oldie can be watched on Prime Video.
Honorable Mention: Saint Teresa of the Andes: The Story of the First Chilean Saint, 1989
While not technically a movie, this six-episode series is found on Formed and is a lovable telling of the story of St. Teresa of the Andes. If you feel like bingeing, and you’re in the mood for a dramatic show, this mini-series is a great pick.
I have personally watched and rewatched all of these movies—some of them at least a dozen times—and I have never walked away without being inspired. Not every film on this list is about a canonized saint, but they are all about persons who are at least on their way to being canonized, and they all burst through the screen as if to say with St. Paul, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”