Circle RE. Against all odds, the ecumenical working group “Church and Cinema” in Recklinghausen has put together a program of films worth discussing for the first half of 2021. “We don’t know if everything can be realized like this, but we don’t want to leave our audience alone for so long. We would like to offer them the cultural asset ‘film’ ”, says Marc Gutzeit, managing director of the Catholic district dean’s office. “Every month we put a film into the program, even without knowing whether we could show it in the cinema,” adds Julia Borries, head of the Protestant adult education unit in the Recklinghausen church district.
The program includes two films that were already planned once in the series, as well as three new films. “We’re starting ‘The Art of Charity’ with an online event in February. Michael Kleinschmidt will introduce the film at a ‘get-together’ via video conference. Then anyone can stream it at home, ”continues Borries. A premiere in its 19th year of existence. At the end of March and in April, May and June, the series is initially planned for the Cineworld in Recklinghausen. “With our selection, we want to widen our view of the world, because at the moment the topic of Corona is playing the main role in the news. We have chosen socio-politically relevant films that cover a wide range of topics, ”informs media and religious educator Michael M. Kleinschmidt. Some films also connect the fact that they hardly had a chance to screen in the cinemas last year. “We want to introduce them to a wider audience because these films deserve that,” he adds.
The eleventh church film festival will not take place in the usual manner this year either. Everything is in the balance. The members of the working group are currently planning an autumn edition from October 1st to 3rd. “We start with the preparations and look for films that have not yet shown in German cinemas. And filmmakers must be able to come for the subsequent discussions, ”says Gutzeit, naming two criteria. The organizers want to enable people to experience the stories together on the screen and then to discuss what they have seen.
“For all of us, church and cinema are inconceivable without cinema,” emphasizes pastoral advisor Joachim van Eickels. The entire film industry is longing for the sense of community again. Cinema director Kai-Uwe Theveßen can only confirm that. The cinema operators were also hard hit economically by the corona pandemic. “We have been closed since November and the November aid we promised has not yet reached us,” he gives an example. But he was still hopeful that it could start again in March or April.
The half-year program includes the following films:
The French film “The Art of Charity” will kick off the online event on February 22nd. Prior registration is required at [email protected].
On March 24th at 7.45pm the award-winning French film “The Angry – Les Misèrables” is on the program. It continues on April 21 with the award-winning film “Never Rarely – Sometimes Always” by American independent director Eliza Hittman. This will be followed by the multi-award-winning Polish film “Corpus Christi” on May 19. The series in the first half of the year closes on June 30 with the Franco-German film “And tomorrow the whole world”, which has been nominated for the 2021 Academy Awards as the German contribution for the best international film. The events start at 7.45 p.m.
All current information on the films is available on the Internet at www.kirchliches-filmfestival.de/kircheundkino.
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