Documentary chronicling Damien Dempsey and his Vicar Street shows opens this Friday

A new documentary chronicling Damien Dempsey and his pre-Christmas Vicar Street concerts will open this Friday in cinemas nationwide.

First premiering to a standing ovation at the Galway Film Festival, Love Yourself Today was filmed during pre-Covid times at Dempsey’s famous Vicar Street shows.

The film also won The Audience Award for Best Feature from IFI Documentary Festival.

According to distribution company Breakout Pictures, the movie is “part documentary, part concert film.

“Love Yourself Today is an emotive celebration of modern spirituality and the power of music to heal.”

Speaking about the film, Damien 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.”

Love Yourself Today will be screening in the following theatres in Dublin:

Movies at Swords

Odeon Coolock

IMC Santry

IMC Savoy

Lighthouse Cinema

Odeon Point

IFI

OmniPlex Rathmines

Stella in Ranelagh

Vue Liffey Valley

IMC Dunlaoire

Movies at Dundrum