A documentary highlighting the work done by Mary’s Meals held its première last night and has been entered for the best documentary short category at the Academy Awards.

Last week Child 31 won the best documentary and best soundtrack awards at the Pan Pacific Film Festival in California and will find out if it has been shortlisted for an Oscar in January 2013.

The half-hour film was produced by Grassroots Films after an individual gave the charity a donation to cover the costs of making the film. It follows founder and chief executive Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow as he visits the charity’s school meals projects in Malawi, Kenya and India.

The first screening of the film took place on Sunday 4 November at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall as part of the charity’s tenth anniversary celebration. It was praised by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and singer Annie Lennox.

Brown said: “'A hunger for knowledge' is a phrase we all know, but it takes on a whole new meaning when we view the emotive and moving film Child 31. Mary's Meals is feeding the hunger. Mary's Meals is helping provide the knowledge.”

Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, founder and chief executive of Mary’s Meals added: "We hope Child 31 will bring the message of Mary's Meals to new eyes, new ears and new hearts. It is my hope that Child 31 – this moving, inspiring and uplifting film – will act as another seed which will soon bear an abundance of fruit."

Mary’s Meals has made the film available for free to anyone wishing to host a screening. A list of screenings already scheduled to take place is available here.

The charity also hopes to raise funds with the film by selling DVDs for £10.70, the amount Mary’s Meals says it cost to feed a child for a year, with at least 93 per cent going to the charity's activities and the remainder towards costs.

Mary’s Meals was highly commended in the international aid and development category Charity Awards in 2009.

View a preview of the film below.