When Hollywood produces a film about Italian Americans, it usually is of a certain vintage and the purveyors of such art are usually their descendants. In a change of pace, enter the talented duo of director Alejandro Monteverde and screenwriter Rod Barr, who collaborated last year on the highly acclaimed Sound of Freedom, one of the most successful independent films ever — feat difficult to match, let alone top.

But their film “Cabrini” is poised to do just that, opening in over 3,000 theaters nationwide next week. When Barr was pitched by the film’s producers to write the screen play of a sainted Catholic nun in a period piece that begins with her immigration to the United States in 1889, he was incredulous. However, after immersing himself in all things Cabrini, he was sold.