Martin Doblmeier is an American

documentary A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

filmmaker Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...

, known for directing films for

Public Television Public broadcasting (or public service broadcasting) is radio, television, and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service with a commitment to avoiding political and commercial influence. Public broadcasters receive f ...

including ''Bonhoffer'' (2003) '' The Power of Forgiveness'' (2007), ''An American Conscience: The Reinhold Niebuhr Story'' (2017), and ''Backs Against The Wall: The Howard Thurman Story'' (2019). Doblmeier is the founder of Journey Films Inc, a film and television production company focused creating content on religion, faith and spirituality based in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...

. In addition to numerous awards for film, Doblmeier has three honorary degrees.

Early life and education

Doblmeier was born on April 13, 1951, in

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

, New York to Joseph and Marilyn Doblmeier. The oldest son, he was followed by a brother, Robert and a sister, Debbie. Joseph Doblmeier was a convention manager and the family moved from New York City to

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

and then to

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

. Doblmeier attended

Bishop Hendricken High School Bishop Hendricken High School (or Hendricken) is a Catholic, all-male, college preparatory high school located in Warwick, Rhode Island, in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence. Founded by the Brothers of the Holy Cross in 1959, and named ...

Warwick, Rhode Island Warwick ( or ) is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States, and is the third-largest city in the state, with a population of 82,823 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Warwick is located approximately south of downtown Pr ...

from 1965–1969. Then from 1969–1973, he attended

Providence College Providence College is a Private university, private Roman Catholic university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1917 by the Dominican Order and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, it offers 47 undergraduate Academic ...

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

majoring in Religious Studies. From 1978–1979 he attended Boston University's School of Public Communication (now College of Communication) graduating with a Master of Science degree in Broadcast Journalism.

Early career

In 1976–1977, he was staff writer at the ''Providence Visitor'' (now the ''Rhode Island Catholic'') covering area religious news and contributing articles to the Catholic News Service. In 1980, he created the nationally syndicated television series ''Real to Reel''. It was one of the first major productions for the newly formed Catholic Communications Campaign, part of the

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 2001 after the merger of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic C ...

. ''Real to Reel'' profiled leading religious figures, particularly in the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. The first program featured

Mother Teresa Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu (born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, ; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa or Saint Mother Teresa, was an Albanian-Indian Catholic Church, Roman Catholic nun, founder of the Missionaries of ...

who had recently won the

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...

Journey Films

In 1985, Doblmeier launched Journey Films, to further produce major documentary films for national broadcast.

Early films

The first film created was ''The Heart Has Its Reasons'', a profile of

Jean Vanier Jean Vanier (, September 10, 1928 – May 7, 2019) was a Canadian Catholic philosopher and theologian. In 1964, he founded L'Arche, an international federation of communities spread over 37 countries for people with developmental disabilities ...

and his

L'Arche L'Arche ("The Ark") is an international federation of non-profit organisations working to create networks of community where people with and without intellectual disabilities live and work together. Founded in 1964 by Jean Vanier, Raphaël Si ...

communities for men and women with intellectual disabilities. The film won Doblmeier his first

Gabriel Award The Gabriel Awards are a Catholic honor awarded each year for excellence in broadcasting. They were started by the Catholic Academy for Communication Arts Professionals in 1965, and are currently administered by the Catholic Media Association. ...

and was broadcast on television stations and around the world. Following ''The Heart Has Its Reasons'' were two more film about communities of faith; ''Taize: That Little Springtime'' about the Taize Community in France and ''Grounds for Peace'', about the

Corrymeela Community The Corrymeela Community was founded in 1965 by Ray Davey, along with John Morrow (peace activist), John Morrow and Alex Watson, as an organisation seeking to aid individuals and communities which suffered through the violence and polarisation ...

in Northern Ireland. Both programs aired on

. Other films followed including ''Creativity: Touching the Divine'', ''Final Blessing'', ''Take Away This Anger'' and ''American Byzantine''.

''Bonhoeffer''

Journey Films produced ''Bonhoeffer'' (2003), a feature-length documentary film on the German pastor and

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

resister,

Dietrich Bonhoeffer Dietrich Bonhoeffer (; 4 February 1906 – 9 April 1945) was a German Lutheran pastor, neo-orthodox theologian and anti-Nazi dissident who was a key founding member of the Confessing Church. His writings on Christianity's role in the s ...

. Released into theaters and airing nationally on

Public Broadcasting System The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prom ...

, ''

The Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper in the U.S. and the larges ...

'' wrote: "a heroic odyssey that is illuminated with admirable clarity in Martin Doblmeier's outstanding documentary”. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' wrote: “Martin Doblmeier has assembled a touching narrative on the nature of faith.”

''The Power of Forgiveness''

'' The Power of Forgiveness'' (2007) is a film consisting of dramatic short stories profiling the Amish, Holocaust survivor and author Elie Wiesel, Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh and others. Screening events were held nationwide including at the United Nations, the Washington National Cathedral and a special screening in honor of the tragedy at Virginia Tech. The film won top honors at the Sun Valley Film Festival. A companion book, written by former New York Times religion writer Kenneth Briggs was released with the film.

The Adventist Trilogy

A series of films on the

Seventh-day Adventist Church The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sa ...

followed, including ''The Adventists'', ''The Adventists 2'', and ''The BLUEPRINT: The Story of Adventist Education''. Each aired nationally on

American Public Television American Public Television (APT) is an American nonprofit organization and syndicator of programming for public television stations in the United States. It distributes public television programs nationwide for PBS member stations and indepen ...

''Chaplains''

A two-hour long documentary film by Doblmeier, ''Chaplains'' showed individuals from Christian, Catholic, Buddhist, Muslim, and Jewish faith traditions serving in the military, prisons, police departments and other secular professions. The film also included profiles of

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

chaplain Patrick Conroy, and

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

chaplain

Barry Black Barry Clayton Black (born November 1, 1948) is the 62nd chaplain of the United States Senate. He began serving as Senate chaplain on June 27, 2003, becoming the first African American and first Seventh-day Adventist Church, Seventh-day Adventist ...

''An American Conscience: The Reinhold Niebuhr Story''

''An American Conscience: The Reinhold Niebuhr Story'', explored the life of Reinhold Niebuhr, a leading American public theologian of the 20th century. Featured in the film are

President Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, Carter served from 1971 to 1975 ...

, author

David Brooks (commentator) David Brooks (born August 11, 1961) is a Canadian-born American book author and political and cultural commentator. Though he describes himself as an ideological moderate, others have characterised him as centrist, moderate conservative, or cons ...

, civil rights leader

Andrew Young Andrew Jackson Young Jr. (born March 12, 1932) is an American politician, diplomat, and activist. Beginning his career as a pastor, Young was an early leader in the civil rights movement, serving as executive director of the Southern Christia ...

, theologian Stanley Hauerwas and others. A companion book written by Jeremy Sabella was released with the film. The film was screened nationwide including screenings at

Harvard Divinity School Harvard Divinity School (HDS) is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school's mission is to educate its students either in the religious studies, academic study of religion or for leadership role ...

and

Union Theological Seminary Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York (shortened to UTS or Union) is a Private college, private ecumenical liberal Christian seminary in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, affiliated with Columbia University since 1928. Presently, Co ...

''Backs Against The Wall: The Howard Thurman Story''

In 2019 Journey Films released ''Backs Against the Wall: The Howard Thurman Story,'' a biographical documentary about African American theologian

Howard Thurman Howard Washington Thurman (November 18, 1899 – April 10, 1981) was an American author, philosopher, theologian, Christian mystic, educator, and civil rights leader. As a prominent religious figure, he played a leading role in many social just ...

, who helped inspire Martin Luther King, Jr. and other Civil Rights leaders. The film features interviews with

Jesse Jackson Jesse Louis Jackson (Birth name#Maiden and married names, né Burns; born October 8, 1941) is an American Civil rights movements, civil rights activist, Politics of the United States, politician, and ordained Baptist minister. Beginning as a ...

John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American civil rights activist and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...

and

Vernon Jordan Vernon Eulion Jordan Jr. (August 15, 1935 – March 1, 2021) was an American business executive and civil rights attorney who worked for various civil rights movement organizations before becoming a close advisor to President Bill Clinton. Jo ...

and was released nationally on

, winning a regional

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

for "Best Documentary Film".

''Revolution of the Heart: The Dorothy Day Story''

In March 2020 Journey Films released ''Revolution of the Heart: The Dorothy Day Story,'' profiling Catholic writer and social justice advocate

Dorothy Day Dorothy Day, Oblate#Secular oblates, OblSB (November 8, 1897 – November 29, 1980) was an American journalist, social activist and Anarchism, anarchist who, after a bohemianism, bohemian youth, became a Catholic Church, Catholic without aba ...

. The film featured interviews with notable scholars, theologians and catholic activists including

Martin Sheen Ramón Gerard Antonio Estévez (born August 3, 1940), known professionally as Martin Sheen, is an American actor. His work spans over six decades of television and film, and his accolades include three Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and ...

Cornel West Cornel Ronald West (born June 2, 1953) is an American philosopher, theologian, political activist, politician, social critic, and public intellectual. West was an independent candidate in the 2024 United States presidential election and is an ou ...

, and

Joan Chittister Joan Daugherty Chittister (born April 26, 1936), is an American Benedictine nun, theologian, author, and speaker. She has served as Benedictine prioress and Benedictine federation president, president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religi ...

and won a 2021 Gabriel Award for Documentary from the Catholic Academy for Communication.

''Spiritual Audacity: The Abraham Joshua Heschel Story''

The final film in the biographical documentary series "Prophetic Voices", ''Spiritual Audacity: The Abraham Joshua Heschel Story'' was released in May 2021 telling the story of Rabbi

Abraham Joshua Heschel Abraham Joshua Heschel (January 11, 1907 – December 23, 1972) was a Polish-American rabbi and one of the leading Jewish theologians and Jewish philosophers of the 20th century. Heschel, a professor of Jewish mysticism at the Jewish Theolo ...

. The film was released on

for

Jewish American Heritage Month Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM) is an annual recognition and celebration of American Jews' achievements and contributions to the United States of America during the month of May. President George W. Bush first proclaimed the month on Ap ...

and covered various aspects of Heschel's life including his connection to Martin Luther King, Jr., the Civil Rights Movement and role representing Jewish interests during the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...

Filmography

* ''American Byzantine'' (2000) * ''Bonhoeffer'' (2003) * '' The Power of Forgiveness'' (2007) * ''Albert Schweitzer: Call to Africa'' (2006) * ''The Adventists'' (2006) * ''The Adventists 2'' (2010) * ''The Blueprint: The Story of Adventist Education'' (2013) * ''Chaplains'' (2016) * ''An American conscience: The Reinhold Niebuhr Story'' (2017) * ''Backs Against The Wall: The Howard Thurman Story'' (2019) *''Revolution of the Heart: The Dorothy Day Story'' (2020) *''Spiritual Audacity: The Abraham Joshua Heschel Story'' (2021)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Doblemeier, Martin American documentary filmmakers Living people 1951 births Providence College alumni