The 170 singers featured in the film came from all over the US and paid their own way to Rome - the first time they sang together was in Rome 3 days before the concert event.
Conductor Candace Wicke had worked with composer Stephen Edwards in several previous concerts - including 2 at Carnegie Hall and subsequently went to Rome 2 more times, including a reprise of the "Requiem" in the Sistine Chapel in 2013 - Edwards was the first American composer ever to perform there - and Wicke the first American ever to conduct there.
There is an entirely different cut of the movie that was completed in 2013 and never shown.
Editor Greg Hunter had never cut a long-form film until "Requiem for My Mother" was made.
"Requiem for My Mother" won 2 Audience awards - Woods Hole Festival in 2016 and CATE Festival in 2017 - and was featured at AmDOCS in 2017 as well. When it premiered on PBS stations on Mother's Day 2017 it was shown in over 80% of the US.