About Cinema Sanctuary

Cinema Sanctuary is a New Orleans–based film program devoted to cinema as a shared space for reflection, inquiry, and encounter. Initiated by Zachary Pine and Christopher Givens in Spring 2022, the series presents films from around the world that explore spiritual experience, existential crisis, and encounters with the sacred. Treating cinema not simply as entertainment but as a communal, contemplative practice, Cinema Sanctuary invites audiences to slow down, sit with complexity, and experience films collectively.

The first iteration was generously hosted by the First Unitarian Universalist Church and Community Center. A shifting community of organizers and presenters helped create a welcoming setting where viewers could encounter and discuss meaningful, diverse stories through cinema.

The project returns in Fall 2026, continuing its commitment to films otherwise unseen in New Orleans and to conversations shaped by local artists, writers, musicians, and community groups. Through thoughtfully selected works and intentional settings, Cinema Sanctuary fosters connections among viewers, filmmakers, community partners, and the deeper questions of what it means to be human.