The new film documentary ‘Aber der Kirche passionrt nichts’ by Peter Crins andPeter Hermans will premiere on Friday 18 November at 7.30 pm. This will takeplace in the Pestoeërskoel room in Leveroy. After that, the film can be seenin the Pestoeërskoel room on Saturday 19 November at 2 pm and 7:30 pm and onSunday 20 November at 2 pm and 7:30 pm. The Weerter premiere is on Saturday 10December at 2 pm and 7:30 pm in the Munttheater in Weert. Tickets for allscreenings are on sale from Thursday 22 September via the website and cost€13.50 including a break consumption.
‘Aber der Kirche is not passionate about’
The announcement and start of sales of this new film documentary on Thursday22 September is not a coincidence, but has been chosen for several reasons. Tostart with, this is the date on which Weert was liberated in the Second WorldWar, after which Leveroy and the surrounding area became the front in the war.In addition, on this day the liberation monument will be unveiled in Weert andone of the stories on this monument has to do with the new film documentary.During the war, the Ursuline Monastery at Langstraat 20 in Weert housedrefugees, people in hiding and Jews. Despite many monks of German descent anda superior of German nationality. An example of this help is the hiding of theJewish sisters Eef and Simone Polak from Eindhoven, under the care of theGerman sister Raphaele, in August 1942. After a year, these sisters are stillhoused at ten addresses in Central Limburg, including the farm of Haves ownedby the widow Hermans of which filmmaker Peter Hermans is a grandson.
Successful documentaries Peter Crins (two-time winner of the Limburg Film Festival) has alreadydelivered several very successful documentaries, such as ‘De Meysbergh’ and’Grensgeval’. Researcher Crins came across so much new material in recentyears that he had no choice but to make this film. For the making of thisfilm, he again called in his teacher Peter Hermans. Events in his village thatno one talked about for years surfaced. Information presented itself and itwas ‘kill your darlings’ for Crins and Hermans who had so much new material attheir disposal.
About this new film documentary ‘Aber der Kirche pasert nichts’, the Germans said when the Allies advanced andthey were driven from Leveroy. The photos and the historical images tell adifferent story… Documentary makers Peter Crins and Peter Hermans put morethan 25 years of research into this film documentary, which is packed with newfilm material and documents. Such as the denouement of the liquidation of twoGermans, which was not or hardly discussed in Leveroy for years. Exceptionalview of Germans retreating across the canal, Ospelnaren being expelled andbeing shelled in a Leveroyse farmhouse, killing two of their hosts.
There are stories of people who saw the enormous shelling in Stramproy andWeert on the German-occupied area behind the Wessem-Nederweert canal. This wasfollowed by the crossing over the canal to begin the liberation of Leveroy andthe surrounding area. During the withdrawal of the Germans, the church ofLeveroy was completely blown up. And unlike Weert and Nederweert, Father Crinsprevented an ax day in Leveroy: he defended a girl with a prong to prevent herfrom being shaved.
2.5-hour film documentary These are some highlights from this 2.5-hour film documentary that also showsthat the invasion in 1940 had already been prepared by German spies. As aresult of that espionage, the Germans moved around the defenses of Weert,forcing many people from Weert and Nederweert to evacuate unnecessarily. Inwhich are also discussed: Leveroynaren who ended up in concentration campVught, the bell robbery in the church, Jewish people in hiding, the air warand help to pilots, the resistance, the cantonment of German soldiers and theshelter of German deserters: for the one a success for the other catastrophic.
About the documentary makers In 1994 the idea arose to make a documentary about Leveroy during WWII. WherePeter Crins (two-time winner of the Limburg Film Festival and of the ServaasHuys Prize, the prize for the best amateur film) and Peter Hermans wereinitially skeptical whether they could get enough material to the surface,they diligently researched which gave the plan sufficient body. .Incidentally, it was Peter Hermans who fueled the fire with Peter Crins tostart making films, resulting in many successful film documentaries by thegentlemen.
The inexperience turned out to cost a lot of money and the analogue qualitywas not satisfactory, but the passion and interest in this form ofhistoriography had arisen. The unexpected success of ‘Leveroy 1940-1945’demanded more and the digital age was moved on. A significant improvement.Some subjects called for in-depth exploration and more and more material wasbrought to the table. This film documentary ‘Aber der Kirche passionrt nichts’contains more than 25 years of research and recordings.
Impressions The film documentary ‘Aber der Kirche passionrt nichts’ can be seen in thePestoeërskoel room in Leveroy, Sillenhoek 4, at:
Friday 18 November 19.30 premiere
Saturday, November 19 at 2 p.m Saturday 19 November 7.30 pm
Sunday 20 November 2 pm Sunday 20 November 7.30 pm
Tickets cost €13.50 each and that includes a drink. There is free choice ofseat and the hall is open half an hour before the start.
On Saturday 10 December, the Weerter premiere of the film documentary can beseen in the Munttheater, Collegeplein 3 in Weert.
Saturday, December 10, 2 p.m. Saturday 10 December 19.30 hrs
Tickets cost €13.50 each and that includes a drink. Here you can reserve theplace of your preference on the map.
The organization is in the hands of Fanfare Concordia Leveroy in collaborationwith De Aldenborgh and Royal LGOG.