Alexandria Filmmaker Travels to Utah for Sundance Film Festival

By Mary Frances McCarthy
HERALD Staff Writer
(From the issue of 1/16/03)

Documentary filmmaker Martin Doblmeier of St. Louis Parish in Alexandria will travel to Utah for the Sundance film awards Jan. 19-22.

Doblmeier submitted his film on German theologian and preacher, Dietrich Bonhoeffer (pictured at right), to the Sundance film festival. "I strongly believe that this is the best film we’ve done to date," he said.

Although the film was one of 3,000 to receive a form letter saying it would not be shown at the festival, Doblmeier approached several churches in Park City, Utah, and asked if he could show his film at their churches. "The response was terrific and each [congregation] invited us to show the film in their church — Lutheran, Methodist and Catholic — during festival week," said Doblemeier.

The film tells the story of Bonhoeffer, who challenged his church to protest the persecution of Jews by Nazis and was assassinated for his involvement in the resistance to Hitler. Bonhoeffer’s story is told through interviews with family members, students and friends of the preacher. The film also features family film footage and original photographs and letters. The words of Bonhoeffer are read by Klaus Maria Brandauer.

Doblmeier’s Alexandria-based production company, Journey Films, received its first small grant for the production of "Bonhoeffer" in 1998 from the Catholic Communication Campaign, which allowed the production company to travel overseas and begin interviewing the eldest family members, friends and students of Bonhoeffer. The film was completed in 2002.

Doblmeier has traveled to more than 40 countries in the last 20 years to profile religious leaders, heads of state and Nobel Laureates. His documentaries, which combine his interests in religion and journalism, deal with how faith has lead people to do extraordinary things, how religion evolves with society, how it creates communities and holds them together.

"‘Bonhoeffer’ offers us a theology grounded in daily life, an ethic of hope and a model to follow that can help guide us especially now," said Rev. Jeffrey Louden in a press release. Louden is president of the Park City Interfaith Council and pastor of Shepherd of the Mountains Lutheran Church, where "Bonhoeffer" will show on opening night. The opening night showing is already sold out, and Doblmeier believes that the others will soon follow.

Bonhoeffer’s words are still prevalent through our current struggles. "We have been silent witnesses of evil deeds. We have been drenched by many storms. Experience has made us suspicious of others and kept us from being truthful and open. Are we still of any use?" wrote Bonhoeffer.

"‘Bonhoeffer’ represents the very best of what theology has to offer society in times of terrorism, conflict and crisis," said United Methodist Pastor Scott Schiesswohl in a press release. Schiesswohl is the pastor of Park City Community Church, one of the churches that will show the film.

The film will be shown five times during Jan. 19-22 at Shepherd of the Mountains Lutheran Church, Park City Community Church and Old St. Mary Catholic Church in Park City, Utah.

Recent productions of Journey Films have included: "A Time to Build," which is about changes in religion in Eastern Europe since the fall of Communism; "American Byzantine," the story of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception; and "Grounds for Peace," which tells of the challenges of peace in Northern Ireland.

Journey Films is now in production of "Catholics in America," a documentary mini-series depicting the experiences of Catholics in America from the arrival of Christopher Columbus to the present.

"Bonhoeffer" will be distributed to select theatres throughout the United States early this year. A national broadcast on PBS is also planned.

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