Personal Statement from Zachary Pine, January 4 2023:

My goal in starting Cinema Sanctuary was to build a welcoming and inclusive space where viewers can come together to experience and discuss meaningful and diverse stories through the medium of film. This would be the home for a new and much needed community.

I started this project with Chris whom I met while we were both graduate students at Tulane. Chris was in theater and, at the time, I was particularly focused on collaborating with artists in other disciplines. My interest has always been to connect with my collaborators and build relationships around a common purpose. When I started working at the church, I witnessed firsthand the potential for using various art forms, such as theater, architecture, music, and even cuisine, to connect people with one another, even over generations. Chris and I saw the Cinema Sanctuary film series as an opportunity to explore how cinema could have the power to build similar connections among our friends and neighbors.

When we first started Cinema Sanctuary last summer, Chris selected a dozen films that explored spiritual themes in their own unique ways. We were inspired to create a sense of "sanctuary" for viewers, a feeling of dwelling in a sacred space, through the power of cinema. However, over time, I've come to realize that it is not the art or the architecture that creates this feeling of sanctuary, but rather the relationships we build with one another. That is why I believe that this film series has the potential to foster a sense of community and inspire viewers to think critically about the world around them. 

As I work to grow Cinema Sanctuary, my goal is to create a home where people can come together and encourage one another to reflect on themselves, their neighbors, and their planet. In today's world, where time is money and attention is a commodity, it is rare to find spaces where we can slow down and engage in meaningful conversations. That’s something we can have here. In particular, I want Cinema Sanctuary to be an institution where you organizers can use your "ministerial" voices and share with your neighbors the ideas and feelings that matter to you the most. I have seen on Sunday mornings the powerful impact of this kind of communal sharing and want to support you as you find your voice to do the same. With their sponsorship, the elders at the church are challenging us to find a model of communion that works for our generation, and I believe that we’re on to something with what we’re doing here.

My first day on the job at the church coincided with the first service the congregation had in two years since we started the lockdown. I remember feeling a surprising yearning to simply sit next to someone, even a stranger, and connect with them. With things wide open again and daily reminders about how society maybe isn’t so great, I don't want to lose touch with that sense of communal belonging I missed so much. With this project, I’m not trying to elevate the movie as an art form, but rather to sublimate it, to use it as a tool to explore the meaning of our brief time in this world. I believe that meaning lies as much in our relationships with one another as it does on the screen. That’s the real potential that I see with Cinema Sanctuary, to make a spiritual home in a time when those are rare, but also a time we need that home the most.

-ZP

*Previous co-organizers and presenters have included
Chelsea Braun, Josh Stover, Dan Miller, Isabel Owen, Lauren Plevy, Sophia Sells, Derek Zimmer, Henry Griffin, Michael Syrimis, Ivan, Chris Givens, Zach Pine, Cameron Jeffries, Max Akin, Dorian Rolston, and many more. To learn more about how to volunteer reach out to us on Instagram.