Make My Money Matter, a campaign group founded by filmmaker and activist Richard Curtis (“Love Actually”), has launched a new short film starring “Game of Thrones” stars and real life couple Kit Harington and Rose Leslie, in a bid to increase pressure on U.K. high street banks to cease financing the expansion of the fossil fuel industry.

The film, titled “Couples Therapy,” showcases how major banks continue to finance the industry, despite warnings from the International Energy Agency that doing so could trigger a climate catastrophe. In the film, Harington and Leslie personify the banks and their oil and gas clients, playing out an unhealthy relationship in a tongue-in-cheek couples’ therapy session.

The film follows the recent release of the Banking on Climate Chaos report, which revealed that the top U.K. banks collectively financed $37.3 billion towards the fossil fuel sector in 2022 alone. Since the Paris Climate Agreement was signed in 2016, the U.K. Big Five banks have funnelled $419 billion to the fossil fuel industry, with $141 billion going towards the top 100 fossil fuel expanders globally.

According to Make My Money Matter, the majority of U.K. bank customers are unaware that their bank may be financing fossil fuel companies that are developing new oil and gas projects. To increase awareness of the issue, the campaign has invited the public to join them in writing directly to the Big Five banks.

Curtis said: “Our largest high-street banks are in a dangerous relationship with the fossil fuel industry – and it’s time we all knew about it. Such activity is not only bad for people and planet, it also runs against the wishes of millions of U.K. citizens who want their money tackling the climate crisis, not fuelling the fire.”

Harington and Leslie, who are both supporters of the campaign, added: “This is an incredibly important awareness campaign about the dangerous relationship between our banks and the fossil fuel industry. But it is more than just awareness – people really care about this – and it’s time for banks to listen and act.”

Make My Money Matter is calling on the banks to cease financing fossil fuel expansion. Research conducted by the campaign revealed that the majority (70%) of customers think that banks have a responsibility to tackle climate change – yet only 12% believe their bank is doing enough on this agenda. Almost half (47%) of bank account holders surveyed said they would switch if they found that their bank finances companies developing new oil, gas and coal projects. [Source]