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Award-winning documentary filmmaker Martin Doblmeier, creator of over 25 films including The Power of Forgiveness, Bonhoeffer, and The Adventists, visited Pacific Union College last week to address students, present one of his films, and give the college鈥檚 annual Longo Lecture.

 Doblmeier鈥檚 engagement at PUC opened Wednesday evening with a screening of The Adventists, his documentary exploring the denomination鈥檚 unique whole-person approach to healthcare. After the screening in Scales Chapel, the filmmaker spent several minutes answering questions about the film, which premiered on public television in 2010.

On Thursday morning Doblmeier faced a panel of student interviewers for PUC鈥檚 Colloquy Speaker Series in the PUC Church. Following a moving clip of his film The Power of Forgiveness, students Samantha Angeles, Peter Han, and Justin Feltman took the stage with the filmmaker to ask him about his views on Adventism, justice, filmmaking, and the controversial German resistance figure Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

鈥淭he common denominator in my films is exploring the question, 鈥楬ow is God working in the world today?鈥欌�� Doblmeier said, responding to a question from Feltman on how he chooses his topics.

Doblmeier also discussed the complexities of showing The Adventists, a film that to a degree promotes facets of Adventist faith and culture, on public television. 鈥淧ublic TV is very skittish about denominational religion,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut when they saw the film, they realized that it wasn鈥檛 just about promoting one group鈥攊t had a broader theme that was beneficial to a wide audience.鈥� The film ended up getting an overwhelmingly positive response, and after its premiere spent several days as the number two seller on Amazon.com.

Doblmeier said that the film came about at the urging of his Adventist friends. Curious, he visited Loma Linda and then started researching the faith only to be intrigued. He said, 鈥淚 became convinced that if I was interested in it, that I really cared about it, then actually it might have impact on other people. 鈥�

He was particularly interested in the notion of Sabbath as a day of rest. 鈥淎s a Christian, I feel as though Sundays have been lost for most people. Most Christians will get up and go to church on Sunday and then want to paint the house on the rest of the afternoon. But the whole notion of really taking the day and calling it a Sabbath, a sacred day鈥攚as not only a good health idea鈥� but it was the true intention of what the day was supposed to be.鈥�

Thursday evening Doblmeier presented the 2011 Longo Lecture, a lectureship series exploring topics on faith and society, to more than 200 guests. His lecture, 鈥淭hrough the Lens of Faith鈥� centered around Matthew 16, with Jesus鈥� question to His disciples, 鈥淲ho do you say that I am?鈥� Doblmeier said college student, are always asking, 鈥淲hat do I want to do with my life?鈥� Instead, we should be asking, 鈥淲ho do I want to be?鈥�

Afterwards, Doblmeier shared that he is working on a second documentary about Seventh-day Adventists, focused on the international aspect of Adventist health care.