Michael Ricigliano is no stranger to juggling roles. The Long Island native has built a career as a successful attorney, playwright, screenwriter, visual artist and now, director. His latest film, “Godless,” combines his love of storytelling with a provocative exploration of the tension between political ambition and religious conviction.
“I’ve always been fascinated by canon law,” Ricigliano said. “The story deals with the excommunication of a Catholic politician who signs a progressive bill into law. Instead of quietly telling her not to take communion, the bishop of the diocese says, ‘You’re excommunicated. You’re no longer a Catholic.’ That’s a dramatic line in the sand — and I felt that in today’s climate, it would be explosive.”
Starring Harry Lennix (“The Blacklist,” currently on Broadway in “Purpose”) and Ana Ortiz (“Ugly Betty,” “Love,” “Victor”), “Godless” was shot entirely on Long Island.
Filming locations included the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Lloyd Harbor, Coindre Hall in Huntington, and Great Neck. The production, Ricigliano noted, also employed all local background actors.
The shoot came during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, but the team secured a waiver to proceed. “We shot it within 12 days. We motored through it,” Ricigliano said. “For an independent film, that’s lightning speed.”
While production wrapped quickly, the journey for “Godless” began much earlier, as a stage play. Ricigliano wrote the script for live theater, workshopping it through dozens of drafts and readings. But COVID halted those plans. “There were no margins to put up a play and make it successful,” he said. “You couldn’t fill a theater and COVID protocols cost too much. That’s when I decided to transfer it to film.”
The film delves into the political upheaval that would follow a bishop’s unprecedented public break with a high-profile politician — in this case, a fictional governor with presidential aspirations.
“You may see public disagreements between Catholic politicians and the church,” Ricigliano said. “But full excommunication? That’s rare. I think at some point it may happen and the fallout would be massive.”
Authenticity was key to Ricigliano’s approach. He worked closely with the late Monsignor John “Jack” Alessandro, a canon lawyer who had helped present updates to canon law to U.S. bishops in the 1980s.
“He was my foundation for the canon law,” Ricigliano said. “We’d talk weekly. Shooting at the seminary, they had to know the story. The movie is not anti-church whatsoever — it’s a ‘what if’ scenario.”
Since its late-2024 release, “Godless” has been playing in theaters and is available on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Google Play, Fandango and YouTube TV. Ricigliano is also hosting a special hometown screening Aug. 16 at the Bellmore Movies and Showplace.
For Ricigliano, who has had two of his fine art pieces selected to hang in the Long Island Supreme Court, “Godless” represents the culmination of multiple creative disciplines. But he’s already looking ahead. His next project, “The Court of Lawyer and Terminal” — a title he admits “everyone hates” except him — will reunite him with Lennix.
The new film centers on a retired Supreme Court judge with dementia, whose family tries to move him out of protest-ridden New York City to a quieter home in Maine. “You’re not sure if what he’s saying is accurate or not,” Ricigliano explained. “He’s revealing things from his life that could be life-changing for the family — if they’re true. It’s a study in memory, perception and family dynamics.”
Like “Godless,” the upcoming film began as a play before expanding into a screenplay. Casting is underway, but scheduling challenges remain, as Lennix’s Broadway run may extend. “When you’re an independent filmmaker, you’re not just directing,” Ricigliano said. “You’re producing, assembling the team, finding the right window when everyone’s available.”
That spirit of collaboration, Ricigliano said, is the heart of independent cinema. “Everyone’s in it for the right reasons,” he said. “They’ve read it, they love the content and they want to be part of telling the story. Even if it doesn’t make a lot of money, it’s there for the ages. You’ve said something. People may agree or disagree, but you’ve done it — and that’s what I love about independent film, as well as theater.”
“Godless” may have begun as a “what if” play on the page, but on screen it’s a Long Island-made story with national resonance. And for Ricigliano, it’s proof that homegrown talent, determination and a bold idea can come together to spark conversation far beyond the Island’s borders.
The screening for “Godless” will be held on Saturday, Aug. 16, at 7:30 p.m. at Bellmore Movies and Showplace ( 222 Pettit Ave., in Bellmore). Visit www.bellmoremovie.com for tickets and details.
