The Letter, the feature-length environmental film about the Pope and climate activists, has taken Ireland by storm following its Presidential Screening and Irish premiere at President Michael Higgin's official residence in Dublin.
The project to make the film, which follows the story of five people as they travel to Rome to meet Pope Francis, was led by Faith Plans partner, the Laudato Si' Movement, which came up with the idea and raised the funding.
The film received a standing ovation at the screening, and President Higgins urged everyone to follow its message and act on climate change.
The film was also screened at St Patrick's Pontifical University in Maynooth and at Westport Townhall Theatre. FaithInvest's Director of Movement Building Dr Lorna Gold and CEO Martin Palmer, who both appear in the film, took part in Q&A sessions after the screenings, alongside award-winning director Nicholas Brown.
Lorna, who is also Chair of the Laudato Si' Movement, said the aim was to share the Pope's landmark encyclical Laudato Si', which had inspired so many people around the world, to a wider audience.
'We want to bring a message of hope that we can come together to care for our common home and highlight the crucial role being played by faith communities across the world in taking action to address the climate crisis,' she added.
The screenings were extensively covered in the Irish media, with articles appearing in all the major newspapers, and Lorna also appeared live on RTE's The Tubridy Show, which has around 350,000 listeners (the second largest listenership in Ireland).
Watch the film on YouTube
The film was released by YouTube Originals and you can watch it via this YouTube link.
People are invited to host screenings in their communities. You can register to host a screening and a how-to toolkit will be provided to help you.
More information from the dedicated website: www.theletterfilm.org
