Dr. Julia Helmke, born 1969, studied Protestant theology in Berlin, Rostock, Neuendettelsau, Heidelberg, Montpellier and San Jose/Costa Rica and completed postgraduate studies in film history/criticism at the HFF Munich. Since 2002 she has been a lecturer in Christian journalism in Erlangen and since 2005 she has been the representative for art and culture in the Hanoverian state church. In 2005 she received her doctorate with a thesis on "Church, Film and Festivals - History and Criteria of Protestant and Ecumenical Film Jury Work between 1949-1988". She has been a member of the INTERFILM board of directors since 2003 and took over the honorary presidency in 2013. Since 2015 she has been head of the department for socio-political issues in the Office of the Federal President under Joachim Gauck and became General Secretary of the German Protestant Church Congress in 2017. She publishes and educates in the fields of religion and film as well as church and contemporary arts and is a regular juror at festivals. Since July 2025 she is General Superintendent for the Berlin district of the EKBO (Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg-Schlesische Oberlausitz).
Pastor and INTERFILM President
Country of origin
Germany
Articles
On November 28, 2016, Hans Werner Dannowski, city superintendent em. of Hannover, died at the age of 83 years. He was film commissioner of the council of the EKD 1985-1992, president of INTERFILM 1988-2004 and since 2004 honorary president of INTERFILM. Today's president of INTERFILM, Julia Helmke, portrays the deceased.
Today, people are more likely to visit the cinema than the church in their search for enlightenment.
Cinema and church have a lot in common - they are both "storytelling organisations" as the president of the Protestant film organisation, INTERFILM, puts it.
Cinema and church have a lot in common - they are both "storytelling organisations" as the president of the Protestant film organisation, INTERFILM, puts it.
Festivals
Festivals
Current issues
"Defiant" by director Visa Koiso-Kanttila wins the Prize of the Church Media Foundation in Finland at the International Chidren's and Youth Festival in Oulu 2025.
The FilmFestival Cottbus is one of the most significant international festivals dedicated to contemporary Eastern European cinema. Its three competitive sections feature films, youth films, and short films highlight exceptional talent, bold narratives, and innovative cinematic perspectives. Report by Ágoston Gőbel and Aida Schläpfer Al Hassani.
Events
16.02.2025
Haus der EKD, Charlottenstraße 53/54, 10117 Berlin
11.10.2023
Café of the Propsteikirche Leipzig, Nonnenmühlgasse 2