The Nativity Story to Premiere at the Vatican

New Line Cinema's The Nativity Story will become the first feature film ever to premiere at the Vatican on 26 November.

Scheduled for release in the US on 1 December, the film will open worldwide throughout the month of December.

The premiere will be attended by The Nativity Story's director Catherine Hardwicke, actors Shohreh Aghdashloo and Oscar Isaac, producers Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey, screenwriter Mike Rich, and 7,000 invited guests of the Vatican.

The event will serve as a benefit, with contributions going toward construction of a school in the village of Mughar, Israel.

"We are very proud of The Nativity Story and extremely grateful that the Vatican has embraced the film in this way," says New Line's President and CEO of Worldwide Distribution and Marketing Rolf Mittweg. "We believe it is the perfect venue to present the film's universal message of hope and faith, a message we are sure will resonate around the world."

The event has been made possible due to the collaboration of the Pontifical Council for Culture, the Pontifical Council for Social Communication, the Vatican Film Library, the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum" (for Human and Christian Development), the Vicariate of Vatican City State, and the Foundation for Sacred Art and Music.

The Nativity Story chronicles the arduous journey of Mary and Joseph, a miraculous pregnancy, and the history-defining birth of Jesus. This dramatic and compelling story comes to life in a major motion picture starring Academy Award® nominee Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider) as Mary, Oscar Isaac (upcoming Guerrilla) as Joseph, and Academy Award® nominee Shoreh Aghdashloo (House of Sand and Fog) as Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist.