"If your opponent has a conscience, then follow Gandhi and nonviolence. But if your enemy has no conscience like Hitler, then follow Bonhoeffer." - Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

We have been silent witnesses of evil deeds... Will our inward power of resistance be strong enough for us to find our way back? - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

BONHOEFFER tells the dramatic story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the young German theologian who was one of the first clear voices of resistance to Adolf Hitler. Bonhoeffer openly challenged his church to stand with the Jews in their time of need, and eventually joined his family in the plots to kill Hitler. His books, Cost of Discipleship, Letters and Papers from Prison, and Ethics, were written during the struggle and are considered classics in the world of religion and ethics.

The film, shot on location in Germany and the United States, features interviews with family members, friends, students and associates who knew Bonhoeffer personally, and includes the last interview given by Bonhoeffer's closest friend and biographer, Eberhard Bethge. It also features interviews with outstanding historians and theologians including John de Gruchy and Geffrey Kelly, as well as comments from Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Extensive research in archives both in Europe and the US yielded extraordinary archival footage, including a speech by Hitler praying for God's blessing on him and the German people. Also incorporated is Bonhoeffer family footage that features the only known moving footage of Dietrich. The filmmakers were also given access to never-before seen personal and family photographs that help bring visual context to Bonhoeffer's life.

As filmmaker Martin Doblmeier explains, "Bonhoeffer is one of the great examples of moral courage in the face of conflict, I believe part of the reason the film is getting attention now is because many of the issues Bonhoeffer faced - the role of the church in the modern world, national loyalty and personal conscience, what the call to being a "peacemaker" really means - are issues we continue to struggle with today."

Reading for the voice of Bonhoeffer is actor Klaus Maria Brandauer (Out of Africa, Russia House).

"Mesmerizing... unearths the workings of this remarkable man's mind [and] performs the difficult task of providing key biographical information about Bonhoeffer while also focusing on his shifting religious and political beliefs." - Chicago Tribune

"A noteworthy film. One of (the film's) primary strengths... is its setting the life of Bonhoeffer in a precise historical context, employing the use of ample footage from the days of the Third Reich. The rising crescendo of Hitler's power, the remarkable economic recovery from the ashes of World War I, the expansion of the military in direct defiance of the Versailles Treaty, the curtailing of civil rights, the oppression of the Jews, the suppression of dissident voices, comprise the background screen for the unfolding of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's life, as well as that of the whole Bonhoeffer family and their contemporaries. Lively film clips of the Bonhoeffers, as well as prominent church leaders such as Karl Barth, Martin Niemoeller, Reinhold Niebuhr, Adam Clayton Powell, Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, and Bishop Wolfgang Huber of Berlin enrich the documentary throughout. Few viewers can see BONHOEFFER without being profoundly moved! - Burton Nelson, Journal of Lutheran Ethics

"Tough, beautifully made ... a powerful tribute to a man whom people of faith must never forget." - St. Anthony Messenger

"Recommended. BONHOEFFER is an effective introduction to this extraordinary figure. A solid overview of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's life and work." - Educational Media Reviews Online

"An informative and complex portrait of one of the 20th century's most interesting figures. The film beautifully reveals the conflict between Bonhoeffer's interpretation of Christ's words and life, and the path of resistance ot Hitler that he felt compelled to follow... The film touches on interesting aspects of Bonhoeffer's life and work...and the list of interviewees is impressive. " - EthicsDaily.com (The Baptist Center for Ethics)

"In this day when talk of God in domestic and world politics is ever present, it is well worth reflecting on the actions of those who criticized or took action against unjust actions of their own governments. Where do the civic obligations and the patriotism that Christians in different countries throughout the world experience find their proper place in God's larger scheme of things? This film will enhance your appreciation of the importance of questions [such as this]."
- The Public Justice Report (The Center for Public Justice)