A new documentary delving into the scandal of Catholic clergy abuse in New Orleans—partially inspired by reporting from the Guardian and its local affiliate WWL Louisiana—is set to have its world premiere at the Raindance Film Festival in London this June.

Titled God As My Witness, the film is also in the running for best feature-length documentary at the festival’s 33rd iteration, as noted by director Lindsay Quinn Pitre.

The film, which runs for 82 minutes, is produced by Michael Brandner Sr., who uncovered a collection of letters—essentially love notes—from a Catholic priest named Brian Highfill to his late younger brother, Scot. Scot, who was a teenager when he received these letters, never disclosed their existence and tragically died by suicide at the age of 29 in the early 1990s.

Michael took the initiative to show these letters to the Catholic archbishop of New Orleans, Gregory Aymond. In a recorded conversation, Aymond suggested that, while the letters appeared to be grooming material, they “weren’t explicit enough” to justify Highfill’s inclusion on a list released by the archdiocese that identified clergy accused of significant allegations of child molestation.

Ultimately, Aymond added Highfill to that list in October 2020, following inquiries from WWL Louisiana and a reporter now at the Guardian about at least three other victims who had come forward with their own allegations of sexual abuse by Highfill over the past 18 years.

The documentary, God As My Witness, recounts the experiences of Brandner’s family with Highfill, who passed away in 2021, as well as the stories of others who suffered sexual abuse at the hands of clergy while growing up in New Orleans’ Catholic Church. It also highlights the endeavors of attorneys advocating for survivors of clergy abuse, as the archdiocese confronted numerous claims of molestation, leading to its filing for federal bankruptcy protection in May 2020.

The case has already cost the archdiocese upwards of $40 million in expenses, yet it remains unresolved as the premiere of God As My Witness approaches on June 26.

Pitre recently shared with WWL Louisiana that the film is designed to be “open-ended” since the situation is still unfolding.

Brandner expressed that the victims of clergy abuse seeking restitution through the bankruptcy do not include those who were unable to come forward or who have since passed away, including his brother.

“I believe that Scot is [speaking] through me right now,” Brandner conveyed to WWL Louisiana. “I genuinely believe that.”