Award-winning film “Conspiracy of Silence” re-released to mark its 20th Anniversary

Award-winning feature film CONSPIRACY OF SILENCE written and directed by John Deery is being re-released digitally this September to mark its 20th Anniversary.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDON, September 27, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Award-winning feature film CONSPIRACY OF SILENCE written and directed by John Deery for London’s Joejack Entertainment and starring Academy Award-winner Brenda Fricker (‘My Left Foot’), Hugh Bonneville (‘Downton Abbey’), Chris O'Dowd (‘Bridesmaids’), John Lynch (‘Sliding Doors’) and Sean McGinley (‘Braveheart’) has been fully remastered and is being re-released digitally this September in the UK, Ireland, North America, Australia and New Zealand to mark its 20th Anniversary.

The story, meticulously researched and inspired by real events, looks at the vow of celibacy in the Catholic Church and asks is it now time to allow priests to marry: a can of worms is opened in the Irish Catholic Church following the suicide of Catholic priest, Fr. Frank Sweeney, and the expulsion of Daniel McLaughlin, a young seminarian training for the priesthood, on the grounds that he was open to the sexual advances of a male colleague. A local journalist, David Foley, is convinced that the suicide and Daniel's expulsion are linked. As the story gathers momentum, the Church closes ranks.

CONSPIRACY OF SILENCE was developed at the Sundance Screenwriters' Lab and is a well-reviewed film, winning the National Board of Review's Freedom of Expression Award, shared with Michael Moore for ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ and Mel Gibson for ‘The Passion of the Christ’. Jeffrey Lyons of WNBC/ New York called the film "Extremely powerful and superbly acted."

Deery won the prestigious Hartley-Merrill International Screenwriting Award and was nominated for Best Film Director at the Irish Film and Television Awards.

The restored film is being distributed by London-based BohemiaEuphoria, a new film streaming and livestream platform from Bohemia Media, founded by Phil Hunt and Lucy Fenton. Hunt comments: “We are excited to be releasing this film on VOD platforms in the UK, Ireland, North America, Australia and New Zealand, initially to buy or rent on Amazon and Apple, with a view to expanding to more territories worldwide. The film is still relevant today and will attract new audiences that it never had a chance to reach back in 2003.”

In the 20 years since the original release of the film, the Roman Catholic Church has not settled the ongoing priestly celibacy debate and has been marred in many controversies worldwide relating to sex and sexuality. Earlier this year Pope Francis hinted in an interview that he might lift the celibacy requirements for priests, saying: “There is no contradiction for a priest to marry. Celibacy in the western Church is a temporary prescription. It is not eternal like priestly ordination, which is forever, whether you like it or not. Whether you leave or not is another matter, but it is forever. On the other hand, celibacy is a discipline.”

Deery comments: “20 years on, the themes I explored in CONSPIRACY OF SILENCE are just as relevant today, if not more so, than then. In many ways the story was ahead of its time, but fundamentally nothing has changed in the Catholic Church. I personally know many priests who are in gay relationships, as well as priests who are in relationships with women. Celibacy is a time bomb waiting to go off and the Church needs to deal with it. Over 100,000 priests have left the priesthood in the past 25 years, celibacy being one of the main reasons.”

The film is available now on: iTunes UK, iTunes US, iTunes AUS, iTunes NZ, Amazon UK, Amazon US, Bohemia Euphoria

ENDS

Sebastian Budner
Joejack Entertainment Limited
sebastian@joejackentertainment.com

Conspiracy of Silence 2023 trailer