BUENOS AIRES?Roland Joffe knows his latest film will be controversial, but says it?s not meant as a response to ?The Da Vinci Code,? whose bad guys were members of the Opus Dei movement of the Roman Catholic Church.

The filmmaker is in Argentina directing a biopic of Opus Dei founder, Jose Maria Escriva de Balaguer, who sided with Francisco Franco during the Spanish Civil War. The church dismissed the controversy before Escriva was canonized as a saint by Pope John Paul II.

Conservative members

Joffe has twice been nominated for Oscars, including for ?The Mission,? which dealt with leftist Jesuit priests. Now, he is exploring the Church?s most conservative members. Opus Dei is financing the film, ?There Be Dragons,? but Joffe recently said it isn?t a propaganda project. Opus Dei members on the set say the British director has ?creative space? to make the film he wants. AP