Nicolas Brown’s new documentary, The Letter, takes its name from Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ 2015 letter on the care for ‘our common home’ – the earth. The film explores the journey of a group of people from different walks of life – some from the margins of society, others closer to the centre – as they make their way to the Vatican, for a meeting with the Pope. In this special episode of Factual America, Nicolas and host Matthew Sherwood discuss The Letter’s twin themes: the climate crisis and biodiversity loss, as well as the scientific reaction to the making of the film, which was unexpectedly positive. They explore how the Pope became an environmentalist, and how St. Francis of Assisi inspired Arouna, Ridhima, and all those whose journey Nicolas followed. Nicolas also shares some light-hearted moments from the making of The Letter – such as the day he had to work out whether Pope Francis would turn left or right when entering the room on the day of their meeting – as well as some deeply personal ones from his own career – for example, the day Sir David Attenborough spoke out for the first time to warn the world of the climate crisis. The Letter is a film about a world in danger. But more than that, it is about people who are rising to meet the threat. Compelled by reality, they find in Laudato Si’ an ally in theology, and in Pope Francis, someone who is prepared to speak at the top of his voice with them, and for them, for the environment, and future generations. Made by the award-winning Off The Fence production company, The Letter can be watched for free on YouTube (here). Watch the episode at https://factualamerica.com “... what the film's really about is that the Pope has intuited this moment in time by which science and faith together can work out ... a solution to what arguably could be the biggest existential crisis facing humanity: climate change and biodiversity loss.” – Nicolas Brown What is Covered: 0:00 – Trailer for The Letter02:03 – Introducing Nicolas Brown, director of The Letter03:46 – What The Letter is about 07:21 – The idea behind meeting Pope Francis 09:41 – The unheard voices represented in the film 11:39 – How Nicolas chose the people who feature in The Letter15:39 – Scientific reaction to Nicolas making a film featuring the Pope 19:16 – The reason for The Letter being released on YouTube 21:12 – How The Letter got made 22:19 – The role of Off The Fence 22:50 – How Laudato Si’ lays a theological case for caring for the environment 26:40 – The Message of The Letter28:38 – The necessity of working together 30:20 – How Pope Francis became an environmentalist 32:20 – Meeting the Pope 37:00 – Visiting Assisi and being inspired by St. Francis 38:11 – Climate refugees are people, not statistics 40:41 – When did Nicolas create the film’s narrative 44:11 – The life of St. Francis of Assisi 47:46 – The moment Sir David Attenborough stood up to say climate change is real 52:11 – Keeling’s Four Clocks 54:31 – Trying to catch up with the reality of climate change 57:42 – Nicolas’ experience of pitching a climate change doc with Fernando Meirelles 1:00:35 – Why Nicolas came to live in the U.K. 1:02:40 – The wide reach of the BBC 1:04:12 – Nicolas’ interest in seeking out new voices 01:05:35 – Discussing All That Breathes Resources: The Letter MovieMaker Magazine Innersound Audio Alamo Pictures Connect with Nicolas Brown:Website IMDb Connect with Matthew Sherwood: Facebook LinkedIn Twitter  Connect with Factual America: Facebook Instagram Twitter More from Factual America:  All That Breathes A Life on Our Planet: Sir David Attenborough's Witness Statement Our Great National Parks with Barack Obama on Netflix