PBS, NRK pick up doc special about Pope’s call for climate change action

Off The Fence doc special The Letter: Our Message to Earth

US pubcaster PBS and Nordic broadcaster NRK have picked up documentary film The Letter: Our Message to Earth, featuring Pope Francis’s warnings about climate change.

European distributor-producer Off The Fence made the 90-minute special, which premiered on YouTube and has been viewed eight million times.

NRK will screen the film in Norway, while a multi-rights deal allows PBS to broadcast The Letter on 350 of its member channels in the US.

“It’s a gripping journey like no other,” said Bill Gardner, VP of multiplatform programming and head of development for PBS. “Our audiences will experience the Pope’s urgent call to action to all citizens of the planet.”

Executive produced by Bo Stehmeier, the feature doc is inspired by Pope Francis’s encyclical, or letter, which calls for “swift and unified global action” against climate change.

The Letter was screened at The Vatican in October for an audience of ambassadors and leading figures in the climate debate.