INTERFILM General Assembly in Erlangen

23.10.2019 (vis) INTERFILM President Julia Helmke was confirmed in office at INTERFILM's General Assembly, taking place every three years, on October 19 in Erlangen. The theologian and film critic, full-time General Secretary of the German Protestant Kirchentag, received her PhD at the Friedrich Alexander University in Erlangen in the department of Christian Media Studies by exploring the history of the church commitment at international film festivals. Prof. Johanna Haberer, her doctorate supervisor, hosted the event, which was preceded by a seminar on the use of religious elements in contemporary cinema. Film screenings, lectures and discussions on this topic were also attended by students of the theological faculty.

The General Assembly also elected a new board. Philip Lee (Canada), Jolyon Mitchell (Great Britain), Jes Nysten (Denmark), Waltraud Verlaguet (France), Karsten Visarius (Germany) and Charlotte Wells (Sweden) were re-elected. New board members are Dietmar Adler (Germany), Christian Engels (Germany), Joël Friso (Netherlands), Ingrid Glatz (Switzerland), Viktor Kókai-Nagy (Hungary) and Michele Lipori (Italy).

The most important change was the handover of the office of the INTERFILM jury coordinator, which had been held by the Swiss pastor Hans Hodel for almost 30 years, to his successor, Pastor Dietmar Adler, who had already exercised this function since the beginning of the year, for a while together with his predecessor.

At a festive dinner, outgoing board members Piet Halma, Denyse Muller, Gianna Urizio and Anita Uzulniece were appointed honorary members. Hans Hodel, not only for decades and, since his retirement as film commissioner of the Reformed Media in Switzerland in 2003, voluntarily jury coordinator, but also 2004-2013 INTERFILM President, was honored for his merits with the appointment as honorary president.

Both events, seminar and General Assembly, were financially supported by the Evangelical Church of Bavaria, the University of Erlangen and the Protestant Adult Education in Erlangen.

INTERFILM member Michael Otrísal shot a short film report about the General Assembly of INTERFILM in Erlangen and the preceding seminar.