Conspiracy of Silence (film)

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Conspiracy of Silence is a provocative, timely and highly-controversial drama set in Ireland and inspired by real events. The film challenges celibacy and its implication for the Catholic Church in the 21st century. Written and directed by John Deery, Conspiracy of Silence features a strong Irish and British ensemble cast including; Brenda Fricker, John Lynch, Sean McGinley, Jim Norton and Hugh Bonneville. The movie has won many international awards including the U.S. National Board of Review of Motion Pictures' Freedom of Expression Award in 2004 which it shared with Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 and Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ. Deery was also nominated for Best Film Director at the Irish Film Awards in 2003. The screenplay was developed at the Sundance Screenwriters' Lab in Utah and won the Hartley-Merrill International Screenwriting Award presented to Deery at the Cannes Film Festival in 2001. The film was invited to attend dozens of film festivals in 2003 to be in Competition and/or Official Selection including: Taormina, Italy (first public screening, June 2003), Moscow International Film Festival, Opening Night film at the Galway Film Festival, Ireland, Montreal Film Festival, Hamburg Film Festival, Warsaw Film Festival where it won a Special Jury Award, Dinard Film Festival, France, and the American Film Institute (AFI) Festival in Los Angeles. It received an art house release in the US but, so far, has not been released in the UK.