Czech Television, Studio Brno and Mehrin Foundation are happy to announce the première of Martin Reiner's most recent film on 28 May at Cinema Art in Brno. The 25-minute screening will be followed by a panel discussion of the filmmakers and the Cardinal.
The film recounts the life journey of Cardinal Michael Czerny, tracing his family roots and illustrating the dramatic repercussions of the Nazi era on families like his. The documentary delves into human and spiritual topics as well as offering an illuminating glimpse into history. It portrays the city of Brno, its history and multiculturalism in a period of immense tragedies before, during and after World War II. This place, marked by memory, loss and resilience, is where Michael was born.
The family, Catholic with Jewish lineage on the maternal side, suffers the brutality and cruelty of the 20th-century European milieu. His mother, the only member of her family to survive, wisely used to say, “To forgive is Christian, to forget is stupid.” This is an implicit theme of the documentary.
The film explores the Cardinal's own religious journey, his choice of a priestly vocation in the Jesuit order, and his Christian commitment to defending human dignity, promoting social justice and welcoming migrants. His, then, is a mission strongly inspired by the Gospel values of inclusion and care for the poor. This commitment has led him to play leading roles in the Roman Curia since 2010. In 2017 Pope Francis appointed him co-undersecretary of the Migrants and Refugees Section in the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. Not long afterwards, in 2019 the Pope made Fr. Czerny a Cardinal, and appointed him Prefect of the Dicastery in 2022.
“Cardinal Michael Czerny: A Priest with Jewish Roots” is a narrative of a life that combines faith and identity, memory and resilience, mourning and hope, valuing one's origins, promoting inclusion and openness to the world. The film documents a figure who hopes to transform the wounds of history into gifts of dialogue and reconciliation, embodying the Gospel message in an exemplary way.
