‘PREMIÈRE: THE NEW GOSPEL - Milo Rau’

Watch the movie with French subtitles here.
​​​​​​​Watch the movie with Dutch subtitles here.

​​​​​​​The online screening will be followed by a conversation in English between Milo Rau and Nicky Aerts ​​​​​​​(Klara) at 21:15. You can follow the discussion via our website, Facebook and YouTube.

​​​​​​​In the past, both Pier Paolo Pasolini and Mel Gibson filmed the crucifixion of Jesus in the southern Italian city of Matera. In 2019, Matera became the backdrop for a new passion play. This time, Jesus was played by Yvan Sagnet, who defends the rights of the illegal workers exploited by a mafia-led agricultural system. Many of these workers are refugees from Africa who have nowhere else to go.

The New Gospel is both a Jesus film, and a glimpse behind the scenes. We see Sagnet grow into his role as Jesus, while in between mobilizing groups of laborers working nearby Matera into a large-scale protest dubbed the “Revolt of Dignity.” And dignity is precisely what this film is aiming towards in its portraits of activists and actors alike.
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The Swiss director Milo Rau is also artistic director of the Belgian city theater NTGent, since the 2018/2019 season. He wants his work to “not only portray the world, but change it.” This project is more than simply a film or a play, because it has led to better housing for the migrants, and the founding of a Fair-Trade label for tomatoes.