When does the Dance of Death Film Matinee take place?

The event starts on Sunday, October 11, 2026, at 12:00 PM.

Where does the event take place?

The matinee takes place at Lichtspiel – Cinema & Café at Untere Königstraße 34, 96052 Bamberg.

What films will be shown?

The short documentary Mina Barthel by Christian Deusel and Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal from 1957 will be shown.

Who will give the introductions?

Michael Hanisch will introduce The Seventh Seal. Martin Beyer will introduce the documentary Mina Barthel.

How can tickets be reserved?

Tickets can be reserved through Lichtspiel cinema.

Is the event part of a festival?

Yes, the matinee is part of the Dance of Death Festival 2026 in Bamberg.

Dance of Death at Lichtspiel Bamberg 2026

Name: Dance of Death: „Mina Barthel“ and „The Seventh Seal“
Start: 2026-10-11T12:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-10-11T14:00:00+02:00
Location: Lichtspiel – Kino & Café

Between Memory and Chess Game: Dance of Death Film Matinee in Bamberg

A Sunday afternoon dedicated to the big questions: The Dance of Death Film Matinee at Lichtspiel – Cinema & Café combines the short documentary Mina Barthel with Ingmar Bergman's iconic classic The Seventh Seal. The program leads from the memory of a murdered Bamberg actress to one of the most powerful cinematic explorations of death, faith, and human existence.

Mina Barthel: A Bamberg Life Story

The event begins with the short documentary Mina Barthel by Christian Deusel. In interviews, the film approaches the Jewish actress and former owner of the Bamberg Böttingerhaus. Mina Barthel was deported by the Nazis to Riga in 1941 and murdered there. Her story anchors the festival theme of Dance of Death in the local memory culture and gives the matinee a special historical and human depth.

Ingmar Bergman's Classic about Life, Death, and Faith

At the center of the program is Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal from 1957. Knight Antonius Block returns from the Crusades to a homeland ravaged by plague. When Death comes to take him, the knight purchases a delay for the duration of a chess game.

Bergman's black-and-white images turn the medieval landscape into a stage for existential testing. Between play and seriousness, doubt and hope, Block searches for the meaning of life and certainty in faith. His squire Jöns, on the other hand, approaches the world with a vigilant, often earthly directness. The dramaturgy thus spans an impressive arc between metaphysical quest and the immediate adventures of human existence.

Introductions with Historical and Literary Perspective

To introduce Bergman's Dance of Death classic, Michael Hanisch, a board member of the European Dance of Death Association, will speak. The introduction to the short documentary will be given by Bamberg writer Martin Beyer, author of this year’s Dance of Death play. Mina Barthel is among the figures in this stage work, which will be performed at the Bamberg Cathedral Square at the end of October and beginning of November.

The event thus connects film art, theater history, and memory culture. The audience experiences a concentrated stage experience in an expanded sense: an atmospheric cinema matinee where projection, introduction, and historical reflection merge into a multifaceted cultural event.

Conclusion: A Striking Opening to the Dance of Death Festival

This matinee focuses on two faces of the Dance of Death: on the concrete fate of Mina Barthel and on Bergman's timeless allegory of the human facing death at the chessboard. Those who appreciate classic films, theater atmosphere, memory culture, and dramaturgically strong questions about faith and transience will experience an extraordinary festival moment at Lichtspiel.