The first trailer for Love Yourself Today, a new film about Dublin singer-songwriter Damien Dempsey, has been released.
The new project, which is part documentary, part concert film, is directed by Ross Killeen and as well as focusing on Dempsey's music, it also turns the lens onto his fans.
Shot pre-Covid at one of the artist’s Christmas gigs at Vicar Street, the film, which features an original soundtrack composed by John Reynolds and Dempsey, meets the singer and three members of the audience to hear their stories, unravel their grief and "find the light in the darkness through communal art".
Speaking about the film, Dempsey said: "It’s a wonderful movie about the healing power of music; how it can help heal trauma, lift us and help us through hard times.
"Singing and music are two of the few spiritual entities in the physical world, so we need to harness them and get people immersed in them, because when people lose themselves at a gig, when everyone sings together, they carry a vibration away from the gig that spreads out like a ripple into others, it’s a way of healing."
Director Ross Killeen added: "Pre-Covid, we filmed in Vicar Street and captured the energy and spirituality in the room. It was special, with Damo the conduit on stage.
"The first job of the film was to capture what happens in the room authentically. The second job was to go deep with our three characters Nadia, Jonathan and Packy as they opened up about things that have happened to them in their lives.
"I’m immensely proud of this film and hope it does justice to the incredible power of Damo’s music and what he stands for but also the honesty, bravery and integrity of our cast.
"I can’t begin to describe the journey of making this film but I’m really excited by the idea of people watching it together in a cinema soon."
