Director Komarnicki sees profound parallels between Bonhoeffer’s era and our contemporary struggles.
Angel Studios is betting that the power of cinema can change even the most prejudiced minds, offering free tickets to antisemites for its upcoming Nazi-resistance drama.
“Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Spy, Assassin,” set for release on November 22, tells the powerful story of German Lutheran pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who risked everything to oppose Nazi ideology and ultimately joined a plot to assassinate Hitler.
“To fight against antisemitism, we are doing something unexpected,” Angel Studios announced on Facebook, though details about how self-identified antisemites can claim the free tickets remain unclear.
The initiative has sparked widespread praise from Facebook users, one of whom wrote: “Thank you so much for this ad taking a strong public stance against the antisemitism running rampant in this country.”
According to the film’s synopsis, Bonhoeffer’s worldview was profoundly shaped by his experiences in Brooklyn, New York, where he witnessed firsthand the segregation and systemic injustices faced by the Jewish community.
These observations strengthened his resolve to oppose Nazi ideology and protect Jewish lives upon returning to Germany, where he found the German church increasingly corrupted by Nazi influence.
Director Komarnicki sees profound parallels between Bonhoeffer’s era and our contemporary struggles.
“Political courage has essentially disappeared in 2023. We live in a time where to open your mouth, let alone your heart, will unleash a trap door beneath our feet,” Komarnicki tells Newsweek.
“Social media hasn’t made us bolder with our opinions but has caused us to shape them to fit our notion of the crowd. We love to pile on, but we dare not stand out. There has never been a better time to show the world that courage is not a luxury or a fad; it is a necessity if society is to keep from destroying itself.”