Samford University will present the official Birmingham screening of the documentary film Brother Joseph and the Grotto Nov. 9 at 4 p.m. in the university’s Christenberry Planetarium. The free public event is hosted by Samford’s Office of International Education and the Samford German Club. Convo credit will be available for Samford students. 

Brother Joseph and the Grotto tells the story of Joseph Zoettl, a hunchbacked monk from Bavaria, and his quest to do something in a “small way” to serve God. He began constructing miniatures of the world’s notable and sacred buildings and the work grew to become the renowned Ave Maria Grotto at Saint Bernard Abbey in Cullman, Ala.

"Brother Joseph and the Grotto is a true fairy tale about a young boy who immigrated to the United States and helped transform a small piece of land in the Alabama woods,” said writer and director Cliff Vaughn of Nashville-based Red Clay Films. “It is also an inspiring tale involving folk art, Alabama history, perseverance and a life of devotion.”

Director Vaughn will be present for a panel discussion and a Q&A after the film. There will also be light refreshments.

Carol Ann Vaughn Cross, the director’s sister, producer and head of the Birmingham office of Red Clay Films, is a professor at Samford.