Quo vadis? (Classical Latin: [kʷoː waːdis], Ecclesiastical Latin: [kʷoː vadiːs]) is a Latin phrase meaning "Where are you going?"

The modern usage of the phrase refers to a Christian tradition regarding Saint Peter. According to the apocryphal Acts of Peter (Vercelli Acts XXXV), Peter is fleeing from likely crucifixion in Rome at the hands of the government, and along the road outside the city he meets the risen Jesus. In the Latin translation, Peter asks Jesus "Quo vadis?", to which he replies, "Romam eo iterum crucifigi" ("I am going to Rome to be crucified again"). Peter thereby gains the courage to continue his ministry and returns to the city, to eventually be martyred by being crucified upside-down. The Church of Domine Quo Vadis in Rome is built where, according to legend, the meeting between Peter and Jesus took place.

In culture

The Polish writer Henryk Sienkiewicz authored the novel Quo Vadis: A Narrative of the Time of Nero (1895), which in turn has been made into motion pictures several times, including a 1951 version that was nominated for eight Academy Awards. For this epic novel (among others), Sienkiewicz received the 1905 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Quo Vadis is a 2001 Polish film directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz based on the book of the same title by Henryk Sienkiewicz. It was Poland's submission to the 74th Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but was not nominated.

Plot

The central plot in the movie revolves around the love of a Roman patrician, Marcus Vinicius, towards a Christian girl (coming from the territory of modern-day Poland) set against the backdrop of the persecutions against Christians during the reign of Nero.

In the beginning, Lygia, a Christian and hostage of Rome, becomes the object of Vinicius' love but she refuses his advances. Vinicius' friend Petronius tries to manipulate Nero, who has authority over all Roman hostages, to give Lygia to Vinicius, but Lygia is taken into hiding by Christians. Marcus Vinicius decides to find her and force her to be his wife. He goes to a Christian meeting along with Croton, a gladiator, to find her. After following her from the meeting, Marcus tries to take her, but Ursus, a strong man and friend of Lygia, kills Croton. Marcus himself is wounded in the fight, but is taken care of by Lygia and the Christians. Seeing their kindness he begins to convert to Christianity, and Lygia accepts him.

The Church of St Mary in Palmis (Italian: Chiesa di Santa Maria delle Piante, Latin: Sanctae Mariae in Palmis), better known as Chiesa del Domine Quo Vadis, is a small church southeast of Rome, central Italy. It is located about some 800 m from Porta San Sebastiano, where the Via Ardeatina branches off the Appian Way, on the site where, according to the apocryphal Acts of Peter, Saint Peter met Jesus while the former was fleeing persecution in Rome. According to the legend, Peter asked Jesus, "Lord, where are you going?" (Latin: Domine, quo vadis?). Jesus answered, "I am going to Rome to be crucified again" (Latin: Eo Romam iterum crucifigi).

History

There has been a sanctuary on the spot since the ninth century, but the current church is from 1637. The current façade was added in the 17th century.

It has been supposed that the sanctuary might have been even more ancient, perhaps a Christian adaption of some already existing temple: the church is in fact located just in front of the sacred campus dedicated to Rediculus, the Roman "God of the Return". This campus hosted a sanctuary for the cult of the deity that received devotion by travellers before their departure, especially by those who were going to face long and dangerous journeys to far places like Egypt, Greece or the East. Those travellers who returned also stopped to thank the god for the happy outcome of their journey.

Hunter-Killer is a comic book series from Top Cow Productions, Created by Mark Waid and Marc Silvestri. Silvestri provided the art for the first story arc while Eric Basaldua and Kenneth Rocafort drew the remaining issues. The series started in March 2005.

The protagonist of the story is a young man named Ellis. Other main characters are Wolf and Samantha Argent, some of the hunter-killers the title refers to.

Fictional team history

During the Cold War, in response to the concern that a nuclear war would destroy the world, the United States government began a project to create living super-weapons. These beings were referred to as "Ultra Sapiens". However, there was a breakout, and most of the Ultra Sapiens went underground, hiding their gifts. Some went back to work for the government, tracking their rogue brethren and dealing with "situations" – they are the eponymous hunter-killers of the story.

However, something else was also created by the project, capable of tracking and neutralising any Ultra Sapiens, anywhere. No one knows what it is, what it looks like, or where it is. However, a married couple in rural Montana might have some ideas, and their strangely gifted twenty-year-old son would be very surprised at the answer...

Antoine Fuqua (born January 19, 1966) is an American film director and film producer.

Life and career

Fuqua was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After going to school for electrical engineering, with the hope of going on to fly jets in the military, Fuqua began his career directing music videos for popular artists like Toni Braxton, Coolio (his "Gangster's Paradise" music video) and Prince, and then went on to become a film director.

His first feature film was the action film The Replacement Killers (1998), starring Chow Yun Fat. He then directed the crime thriller Training Day (2001), for which star Denzel Washington won an Oscar, the action war drama Tears of the Sun (2003), the Arthurian legend film King Arthur (2004), the conspiracy action thriller Shooter (2007), the crime film Brooklyn's Finest (2010), and the action thrillers Olympus Has Fallen (2013) and The Equalizer (2014), which pairs Fuqua with Denzel Washington again.

He is perhaps best known for the award-winning film Training Day. Fuqua was scheduled to direct Prisoners, based on a storybook from Aaron Guzikowski, but left the project.