More than a Word: Death

What if a person's death did not mean the end of their life? What if their loved ones could still talk to them even after their body has long been cremated or lies lifeless in the ground? What sounds like a scenario from a science fiction movie is already being offered by companies today. With the help of AI, these start-ups are creating avatars of deceased people so that their loved ones can interact with them. ETERNAL YOU tells the story of a human experiment: What does it do to us to bring our deceased loved ones back to life in order to talk to them? Who takes responsibility for the psychological and ethical consequences? And do we even want all this?

Following the screening of the film, we invite you to an opportunity for discussion with Hans Block, one of the two directors of “Eternal You”.

Jean Tobelmann, a third-generation gastronomer, has an eccentric regular guest - the young Sourie passionately and earnestly explores what most people prefer to keep quiet about: the end of life. Why? Tobelmann delves into the story of the humorous eccentric and discovers something that could not be more understandable and at the same time more incomprehensible, something that goes far beyond Sourie's amour fou with their mutual friend Tessa and the bond between the two men.

Husch Josten reads from her book “Die Gleichzeitigkeit der Dinge” (The Simultaneity of Things), a story about friendship, grief and a love that calls everything into question. The event will be moderated by Bettina Böttinger and will include a discussion with the audience after the reading.

Three theologians from Christianity, Judaism and Islam discuss ideas and rituals surrounding death.

Prof. Dr. Andreas Odenthal (Professor of Liturgical Studies, University of Bonn), Dr. Hamideh Mohagheghi (Chairwoman of the Rat der Religionen e. V. Hanover) and Gabriela Schlick-Bamberger (religious educator and director of the religious school JESCHURUN, Frankfurt a. M.).

Moderation: Prof. Dr. Klaus von Stosch (Faculty of Catholic Theology at the University of Bonn)

Is dying bad? Can it also be beautiful? Why do we have to die at all? What happens then? Wouldn't it be much better to be immortal? And what is it actually like to have to deal with death on a daily basis? This book gently opens the door to a secret room. The world behind it is sometimes sad, sometimes even funny, and always special and exciting.

After the reading, we invite you to talk to the author Katharina von der Gathen.

* Radieschen von unten = pushing up the daisies