Pope Francis climate change movie premiers in Nairobi, the first screening in Africa

A film inspired film by Pope Francis to address temperature and weather pattern shifts has premiered in Nairobi ahead of the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27).

The film, “The Letter - A Message for our Earth” which was been shown in Africa for the first time, premiered at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa on Saturday.

The film was released on October 4, 2022, with the first global premiere at the Vatican. It registered over 2 million views on Youtube in the first week of its release.

The movie was released as the world prepares to mark this year’s COP27 to be held from November 6 to 18 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

The film features Pope Francis, who has shared his deep wisdom together with other voices representing the peripheries of the ecological crisis.

It is the fruit of over six years of work of the Laudato Si’ Movement in partnership with Off the Fence (Oscar-winning producers of My Octopus Teacher) and the Vatican.

Over 1,000 guests watched the movie at the university’s LRC auditorium followed by an interactive panellist discussion on climate change.

“We are thrilled by the journey that Pope Francis' encyclical, Laudato Si is taking. We are seeing how the message is inspiring informational evolution. ‘The Letter’ is giving people hope of a better future and hope for local and global solidarity in the fight for ecological and climate justice,”said Prince Papa, the Africa Programmes Manager for Laudato Si Movement.

Lang’ata MP Phelix Odiwuor popularly known as Jalang’o, who was among the guests at the premier said the movie will go a long way in inspiring the world to address climate change.

“I hope the movie can be shown in many other areas in Kenya so that all stakeholders can collaborate to mitigate the effects of climate change,” the MP said.

He added that there are plans to plant over 700,000 trees in Lang’ata constituency in the next five years.

At the Vatican, immediately after the interview, Tomas Insua, the executive producer of The Letter and director of the Laudato Si Movement, said, "The goal of the letter is to show us that everything is interconnected,” which is the central message of Pope Francis in Laudato Si.

“It showcases how our actions towards the environment and social change impact others and that nothing is done in isolation.”

Members of the public globally will be able to host the film screening in their communities and institutions for free by registering on the film website.

COP27 are annual meetings held under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

They serve as the formal meeting of the UNFCCC parties (Conference of the Parties), to assess progress in dealing with climate change.