Celibaat

An intimate portrayal of the everyday lives of Carthusian monks of the Grande Chartreuse, high in the French Alps (Chartreuse Mountains). The idea for the film was proposed to the monks in 1984, but the Carthusians said they wanted time to think about it. The Carthusians finally contacted Gröning 16 years later to say they were now willing to permit Gröning to shoot the movie, if he was still interested.

Priests, theologians and bishops are increasingly confessing that the majority of clergy no longer keep celibacy. They condemn the institution of the church and its treatment of priests. And they refuse to obey the ecclesiastical laws imposed by the Vatican. They no longer want to keep their private lives secret. Many are calling for an end to compulsory celibacy.

The oldest Quebecois Benedictine convent open its gates to a documentary filmmaker for the first time. Observed up close, life behind its walls is busier than one would expect. About twenty cloistered nuns, most of them over 70, share their daily life with diligence and humor. A contemplative portrait of a community of sisterhood and solidarity emerges, punctuated by prayer, work and games evenings.

For the first time, cloistered sisters agree to be filmed for one year in all aspects of their lives. The nuns of Berthierville, the only Francophone community of Dominican nuns in North America for nearly a century, engage in a rare and unique documentary in which exceptional testimonies and archives intermingle.

The Sion monastery in Netherlands can hold 120 monks, but only 8 remained in 2013. Together, the remaining group bands together to help build their community back up. Their journey leads the monks to the Island of the Grey Monks.

50 years ago Jørgen Lauersen Vig bought Hesbjerg Castle, situated in the Danish country side, with the purpose of turning it into a monastery. Now, many years later, he is about to realize his old dream. A group of Russian Orthodox nuns are on their way, and thus Mr. Vigs life-long dream is about to come true. But, nuns have plans and wills of their own, and Mr. Vig must realize that the road to fulfilling his dream is very different than what he imagined.

A hush rests upon the monastery, stirred by echoes that drift through its halls. Chants, prayers, and gentle whispers compose the soundscape of the Mosteiro de Nossa Senhora das Graças — a space where mystery lingers and peace feels absolute.

A young Englishman walked into a church and, in an instant, decided to convert to Orthodoxy. A Ukrainian man grew up in a place where religion was strictly forbidden. A man from Crete followed the guidance of the saints. What draws people to Mount Athos, the holiest place for the Orthodox Church?

Abbess Maria leads the only Orthodox women's monastery in Germany. Together with 13 sisters of international origin, she tries to escape the mundane life while coming closer to God. A film about women dressed in black, about life and death and a monastery as an unusual place of destiny and peace.

Daily life in a Benedictine monastery follows resolution of conflict between personal needs and the institutional and organizational priorities of the community. In the Order, where the focus of life is the relationship of individual work and worship to the community as a whole, the brethren must cope with the same issues that arise in any community: rules, work, worship, values, love, and play.

Having grown up surrounded by my mother and her friends, I wonder about celibacy, loneliness, and the place of friendship among single women. Through joyful discussions with my own friends and exchanges with three women I meet, the film paints a festive and contrasting portrait of loneliness.