Films by Christof Wolf

2021, 43 min
by Christof Wolf

Why do some people manage to implement even difficult-to-realize life plans, but others do not? What does it take to be successful and happy in life? Are talent, external life circumstances and lucky coincidences decisive, or are there other factors that are more important? Philosopher Godehard Bruentrup accompanies Tamara Dietl (author, coach), Moritz Stahl (saxophonist) and Katharina Klein (actress, clown) on their search for a meaningful life.

2017, 38 min
by Christof Wolf

The Jesuit Missions to the indigenous people of Latin America were founded in the beginning of the 17th century. Due to the intrigues of the political powers at the time, the missions were suppressed in 1767. The so-called ‘Holy Experiment’, the dream of a better, a just society, was at an end and since then, it has remained a utopian ideal. Today, 250 years later, we still long for a just, peaceful and free society. But the legacy of the ‘Holy Experiment’ lives on in Bolivia, in the Jesuit Pari

Great Britain 2013
by Christof Wolf

Son and Mother, a Secretary, Fink and Omar (two Mobile Phone salesmen) and Scot they all are riding on the Circle-line that is rather special, it has no beginning and no end. Their thoughts and stories come back to one childhood memory: "Scotland's Burning". "Scotland's burning! // Scotland's burning! // Look Out! Look Out! // Fire! Fire! // Pour on water! Pour on Water!"

2012, 94 min
by Peter Bardehle

In challenging the British icon of modern times, Vidicom sets new standards in the field of historic storytelling: In over two thousand hours of work, atmospheric animations were created to recall key moments of the time when Winston Churchill and Josef Stalin changed the fate of Europe. 'Challenging Churchill' therefore not only tells the story of two world leaders in times of war. It also reveals the story of Poland whose fate was determined by Churchill and Stalin playing a serious power game

2012, 17 min
by Christof Wolf

Animatics are a creative way of telling stories. Especially when historical footage does not survive, or when a reenactment would be too costly. Animatics are used for commercials in order to have a cheap way of pre-visualising a scene. They are a combination of animation and splitting an image into different layers: foreground (e.g. people), middle ground (e.g. buildings and trees), and background (e.g. mountains, sky, etc.). When these layers are moved towards one another, changes occur in li

Germany 2012, 52 min
by Christof Wolf

On 2 June 2010 a small group of pilgrims from the Lassalle-Haus, Bad Schönbrunn, Switzerland, is setting out on foot with the aim of reaching Jerusalem by Christmas, which are: 4800 kilometers in 206 days. The way through the Alps, the Balkans, Istanbul, Turkey and Syria is an ancient pilgrimage route, but was also used by the Crusaders. The four pilgrims, two men and women, have deliberately chosen to take this road, to meditate and pray for peace while offering an opening for encounters a

2012, 45 min
by Christof Wolf

Political deadlock and a deep economic crisis have lead to widespread poverty and despondency in Zimbabwe. The situation in the country’s Chinhoyi diocese is no different. Here, people have to fight for survival every day. The church tries to help wherever it can but this is by no means an easy task. Today, the diocese is undergoing a profound change: it is about to transform from a mission church into a local church. And Chinhoyi’s young, native priests are ready for the challenge.

USA, Germany 2010, 37 min
by Jason Schmidt

"I built Auschwitz... because I arrived in the first transport." Memory, art and hell collide as an Auschwitz survivor finally confronts the horrors of his past after 50 years of silence. Marian Kolodziej, prisoner number 432, was 17 and on one of the first transports to enter Auschwitz on June 14, 1940. Kolodziej, a Polish Catholic, survived five years imprisonment and never spoke of his experience until after a serious stroke in 1993. He began physical rehabilitation by doing pen and ink drawi

Polen 2008, 18 min
by Christof Wolf

In November 2006, Marian Kolodziej, Auschwitz prisoner no. 432, met with members of an interfaith retreat group on the grounds of the Auschwitz concentration camp. Marian came back to pray and to speak about the horrors of the camp where he spent 4 ½ years of his life. Afterwards, he gave a tour of his drawings housed in the basement of St. Maximilian Kolbe Franciscan Church in Harmeze, Poland, located about 10k from Auschwitz. This DVD includes some of his testimony and a number of his drawings

Polen 2008
by Christof Wolf

Auschwitz – unique symbol of methodically perfected horror, and at the same time destination for daily streams of tourists. How can an encounter with this place avoid the banality of a visit? This question was asked by New York Zen master Roshi Bernhard Glassman. His answer: the „Auschwitz Retreat“. He invites people of different ethnicity and belief to face Auschwitz directly and without cover. The group will spend five days in meditation, silence, prayer and sharing on the very grounds of the

2007
by Christof Wolf

Great Britain 2007
by Christof Wolf

During these past years David Blaine gained enormous publicity through his spectacular stunts. In 1999 he was buried alive in a coffin of glass for seven days. In the year 2000 he was frozen in a block of ice for almost 62 hours. In 2002 he stood for 35 hours on a 105 feet tall pillar. For his most recent action ‘Above The Below’ in fall 2003 David Blaine starved himself for 44 days, hanging on a Plexiglas box on a crane near Tower Bridge in London. According to the British Press, Da

USA 2006
by Christof Wolf

“The Philosophy of Composition” is a title of an essay written by Edgar Allan Poe that elaborates a theory about how good writers write when they write well. Poe illustrates this theory by analyzing his own most famous poem “The Raven”. He contrasts his approach with an alternate theory called “spontaneous creation”. The film visualizes Poe’s theory and poem “The Raven.”

USA 2006
by Christof Wolf

Bernard Glassman teaches a distillation of Zen wisdom that can be used as a guide for business, social ventures, peacemaking or just life. The documentary demonstrates the uniqueness and human impact of Glassman‘s work and life. Not only a Zen teacher, he works as a peacemaker in the field of interfaith dialog throughout the world. He has helped change a whole neighbourhood in Yonkers (New York). The film shows how one can live a life that matters.

2006
by Christof Wolf

Experience the 8th Wonder of the World. In the middle of Germany, in the middle of Saxony, in the middle of Chemnitz, there you will find Europe's heaviest and biggest fossils. Remnants of the petrified forest are already the main attraction of the Tietz cultural center. Because of its geological age, its botanical diversity, and its quality of preservation, the petrified wood of Chemnitz is unique in all the world. What you can see now, however, is but a small portion of what scientific surveys

USA 2002
by Christof Wolf