This March, we are having two CTMS Film Nights. Our first film is Meet the Mennonites, a 2018 documentary by director Mélanie Van Der Ende.

We will be joined by Kennert Giesbrecht, former editor of the Mennonitische Post, who will share from his deep familiarity with traditionalist Mennonite communities throughout Latin America.

From the filmmaker:

Like the Amish, the ultra-conservative Christian community of the Mennonites reject modern society and live a life frozen in the 19th century. Nearly all Mennonites live in self-sufficient colonies, embracing isolation, which helps protect them from the temptations of the modern world. Now, for the first time, one of these communities has agreed to open their doors to our cameras.

At first sight, time seems to have stopped in the colony of Little Belize, in South America. People travel around on horse-drawn carriages and still speak Plattdeutsch, an old German dialect. But even here, signs of the outside world are creeping in. Wilhelm, the community’s former doctor, was recently expelled for owning a mobile phone. Fearing their community is being tainted, some traditional members, like Abram and his family, have decided to create a new colony, even more isolated, in the jungle of Peru, where they can remain true to their original doctrine.

We follow them on their exodus and take an unprecedented look at the world of the Mennonites.

This free, in-person event takes place on Thursday, March 12, at 7:00 p.m. in EG Hall, which is located on the third floor of Centennial Hall at the University of Winnipeg.

Runtime: 52 minutes. Produced by Magneto Presse.