Film Screening of 'Chaplains'

Chaplains is a new documentary film that takes the viewer into the dynamic world of  men and women who represent their own particular faith tradition but are trained to be of comfort and support to everyone, religious or not. With a tradition dating back centuries, chaplains today are on the front lines – often in the midst of life and death situations – where the questions are the deepest and the need for spiritual and pastoral care the greatest.

The film screening will follow the story of these chaplains: Father Paul Hurley, U.S. Army colonel and Catholic priest who serves the troops as senior chaplain in Afghanistan; Karuna Thompson, a Buddhist woman working in a men’s maximum-security prison in Oregon with over 2,000 inmates; Melissa Brannan, part of the 120-member chaplain team at Tyson Foods; Barry Black and Father Conroy, chaplains to the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives; Khalil Refai, the newly appointed Muslim chaplain for the Hamtramck Police Department near Detroit where the police chief understood the need for a bridge between his department and the rapidly growing Muslim community; Kathleen Ennis-Durstine, senior chaplain at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.; Rabbi Arthur Rosenberg, chaplain for the Motion Picture and Television Fund–Hollywood’s senior care and retirement center; Billy Mauldin, chaplain at NASCAR who travels the circuit as the spiritual pastor for the thousands who stage the races that have become one of America’s most popular and dangerous sports.

Chaplaincy today is an emerging profession that struggles to define itself as it faces challenges on many fronts. Chaplains offer a window on how to view religion, faith and spirituality in a religiously diverse America that values the separation of church and state even though exactly what this means is not always clear.

“This last year has made me re-think my own view of living one’s faith in the world today,” says award-winning filmmaker Martin Doblmeier. “What these chaplains do every day under extraordinary circumstances models a courageous way of being present as the face of God for those who need it.”

The film screening will be followed by a conversation with Doblmeier who has produced and directed more than 30 films focused on religion, faith and spirituality.

Admission is free. Tickets will be available starting at 6:30 p.m. Carmike Thousand Oaks 14 is located at 166 W. Hillcrest Drive.