Running at windmills

Got any advice for first-time visitors to the Netherlands?

With joy and gratitude, Anne and I will be traveling to the Netherlands next week by the invitation of generous friends who have given us tremendous encouragement.

Peter van Dijk and Bart Cusveller, both editors of www.cvfilm.nl, have had a hand in bringing Through a Screen Darkly into a new Dutch translation.

I first encountered Peter when he wrote to me about my review of There Will Be Blood just over a year ago, and then we met at the Calvin Festival of Faith and Writing. I heard from Bart soon after that (he sent me the picture of himself posted above), and met Bart during his visit to Trinity Western University in January.

These two have been working hard to cultivate exciting, progressive conversations about faith and filmmaking. I’m blessed to call them my friends, and I’m thrilled to be working with them during my upcoming visit. I’ll be offering several presentations there: speaking to film students; offering a presentation on Babette’s Feast and then leading a post-screening discussion; and addressing parents and teachers at an educator’s symposium.

If you’re interested in more information, you can find it here: www.cvkoers.nl.

There’s also information on www.eh.nl under ‘symposiums,’ and you’ll find more if you scroll down here.

If you’d like to read a translation of the announcement, keep on reading:

Jeffrey Overstreet to visit The Netherlands

Coming April, CV•Film hosts a series of fascinating events on faith and film, for which we invited Jeffrey Overstreet to The Netherlands! Don’t miss out! 

By Ronald Westerbeek

Jeffrey Overstreet is a leading Christian film critic in North- America. He pens his reviews and reflections for Christianity Today and his own website/blog, www.lookingcloser.org. Overstreet is not only eminently well-informed; he also offers a cutting edge Christian perspective on movies. Reason enough for CV•Film to invite Overstreet. His visit is an unprecedented opportunity for every Christian who wants to wants to be reflective and intentional in his or her movie viewing.

CV•Film Book

In April, the Dutch translation of Overstreet’s book Through a Screen Darkly, will see the light of day, being the third volume in CV-Film own series. In this book, Overstreet reports his discoveries on his journey through the world of movies, and makes clear where he stands as a critic and a Christian. Along the way he offers numerous examples and tips drawn from years of movie going.

CV•Film Days

The exact program has not yet been finalized, so keep an eye on cvkoers.nl and cvfilm.nl for the latest. These days promise to be exciting, and include:

• Masterclass for those professionally involved in media-education and film-criticism from a Christian perspective. Thursday afternoon April 16, at the EO (“Evangelical TV Network”), hosted by their program magazine EO Visie (in Hilversum). On invitation only. 
• Movie Night for students and others [UPDATE: The subject will be Babette’s Feast.) with introduction and discussion by Jeffrey Overstreet. How to have a really good discussion about a movie? Thursday evening April 16, in the nice Heerenstraattheater (in Wageningen), hosted by the CHE (“Christian University Ede”).
• Symposium on film and faith for educators (parents, teachers, church and youth leaders). How to be responsible in our movie viewing? Friday afternoon, April 17, hosted by the EH (“Evangelical College” in Amersfoort).