Jerusalem – smack in the centre of the old town lies the heart of Christianity: The Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Since the death of Jesus Christ, Christians have used this place for their pilgrimages. And since then, this is the place for an inner-Christian conflict that has paradox traits.
Greek-Orthodox Christians, Ethiopian and Egyptian Christians, Italian-Franciscan Christians, Syrian and Armenian Christians – almost every group has claimed the place for itself by building a niche here. When one group built a chapel, another followed suit by constructing the Aedicule, only to be promptly presented with an altar constructed by yet another fraction.
To add to the confusion, the groups do not respect each other’s holiest relics. The Stone of the Anointing of Jesus Christ, the splinters of the cross, the Calvary of Golgotha or the Empty Tomb are either worshipped passionately or cast off fervently, depending on whom you ask. This spectacle starts afresh every day and always seems near an eruption.
By using details of the acting protagonists’ daily life, the film is telling a personal cinematic narrative about passion and identity in faith.
Documentary, D/CH 2010, 89′Director Hajo Schomerus
Production
T&C Film, Zürich
Busse & Halberschmidt, Düsseldorf
