Conspiracy of Silence producers launch online release

The producers of Conspiracy of Silence have taken back the marketing and distribution rights for digital, theatrical and TV for the feature film.

The rights had previously been held by the film’s financiers through Little Wing Films.

Element Pictures has already released the film on DVD in the UK and Ireland, and now the producers are coordinating their own online release through the film’s website, and also through a deal with Content Republic.

“We believe our initiative will go some way to clarifying the potential for such distribution models for independent film makers in the future,” says producer Peter Kinkead.

The film originally hit the festival circuit in 2003 but has been garnering renewed attention now because of the ongoing Catholic Church struggles, and the producers have planned a special UK cinema screening timed with the Pope’s UK visit in September.

Conspiracy of Silence follows the story of a young priest in contemporary Ireland who is torn between the Catholic Church and love of his girlfriend. The film also is about the suicide of a respected priest and the explusion of a young seminary student. The cast features Brenda Fricker, Sean McGinley, John Lynch and Hugh Bonneville.

John Deery wrote and directed the film and he interviewed priests in the UK, Ireland and Italy while writing the project.

Conspiracy of Silence won the Hartley-Merrill International Screenwriting Award and Deery attended the Sundance Screenwriters Lab during the film’s development. The film screened and won awards at festivals including Galway, Montreal, Hamburg, AFI Fest, Taormina, Moscow and Dinard.