Berger, whose credits include the Oscar-winning “All Quiet on the Western Front,” described “Conclave” as a “chess game of political intrigue” that could have taken place at a multinational company or in Washington. A top job is open, and people are vying for it. “It just happens to be within the Vatican,” he said.

Starring Ralph Fiennes and set within the private inner sanctum of the Vatican, the movie treats the papal balloting like a thriller.

Based on a bestselling novel by Robert Harris, the Oscar-tipped film imagines what goes on behind the scenes of the secretive process – complete with scheming, smearing and leaking.

Davies pulled what she calls her film "community card" to snag private early morning Vatican tours for key members of production where they could absorb the space separately from the throngs of tourists.