Dune: Part Two has been a phenomenon even prior to its release, with sold-out screenings, pushes for an Oscar campaign already and some questionable tie-in merchandise…But one story adds an entirely new element to not only for fans but director Denis Villeneuve, who granted a dying man’s wish to see Dune: Part Two before he passed away.

Josée Gagnon, who runs the Canada-based charity L’Avant, recounted his journey of getting in touch with Dune: Part Two director Denis Villeneuve and producer wife Tanya Lapointe in hopes of making the screening happen, even though it was more than a month and a half before the film was due to hit theaters. They had invited him to see it in Los Angeles, but the man was too weak to travel. Instead, they sent an assistant with Villeneuve’s laptop, which contained a full version of the film. The screening happened on January 16th.

As Gagnon wrote on Facebook (via Google Translate), “They were extremely touched by this man’s last wish. They told me, ‘It’s precisely for him that we make films.’” Still, it was an arduous journey in making the intimate Dune: Part Two screening happen. “Nothing was possible. Time was passing. The dying man was dying. A race against time. Then with the help of my accomplice and Denis’ team, we managed to create something wonderful…”

That wonderful moment found the man’s dreams coming true, experiencing Dune: Part Two before the general public. “The man was so weak that we thought he might die while watching the film. He didn’t have the strength to listen to it all. It didn’t matter. This man who had a very difficult start to life saw extremely important people mobilize to carry out his last wish. Then that was worth all the gold in the world.” The man would die just a few days later.

This is a pretty remarkable and touching story, one that even further puts the filmmakers behind Dune: Part Two in good light, showing a level of humanity that we don’t often associate with Hollywood.

In less than a week of release, Dune: Part Two has already grossed more than 40% of what its predecessor did worldwide, proving to take in more on opening weekend than initially expected.

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