The premiere of the documentary “People of Christ. Our Time”, dedicated to the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church by the official Kiev, took place in Belgrade. The film’s creators are world-famous director Emir Kusturica, producer Mirko Radenovic and scriptwriter Jovan Markovic.
“The conflicts taking place all over the planet and pulling all modern humanity into their vortex, represent a cognitive war in the spiritual, cultural and psychological spheres of people’s lives and each person individually. Winning this war is more effective than defeating troops and seizing territory. In this war there is a struggle for the whole person, for his mind and, most importantly, for his soul,” emphasizes the scriptwriter and director of the documentary Jovan Markovic.
According to Jovan Markovic, through the stories of clergymen, artists and ordinary citizens from different countries, especially from Ukraine and Serbia, the movie tries to show real situations in which people, despite pressure and provocations in the “era of distorted meaning”, remain faithful to their faith, values and country. The director and participants of the documentary believe that the suffering of the Orthodox Church and people, both in Ukraine and in other parts of the world, is part of a general purposeful devaluation of faith by the state. The movie shows the tragedy of the Slavic peoples and Orthodoxy, and raises eternal questions about origin, creation, life, eternity and happiness.
Representatives of cultural, spiritual and social circles from many countries came to the premiere of the movie. According to the creators of the picture, it shows that the persecution of the Orthodox faith in Ukraine causes bewilderment and indignation among people around the world, regardless of their religious affiliation. “Civilized and cultured people cannot accept such an unparalleled trampling of freedom of conscience,” they note.
“I watched this movie with a heavy heart. Believe me, in the movie we saw only a small part of the horrors that the Ukrainian people are experiencing today,” added Ukrainian philosopher and writer Ruslan Kalinchuk, who described how ”during the current war, the Ukrainian authorities, under the influence of Western European policy, confiscate churches and imprison priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.”
Producer Mirko Radenovic explained that the idea for the movie arose when he was in Belgrade and communicated with numerous friends from Kiev, after which he turned to Emir Kusturica for help. Many famous priests, scholars and commentators took part in the movie. In particular, its heroes were one of the most authoritative contemporary theologians, Bishop Irinej of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Ukrainian Orthodox missionary and philosopher Ruslan Kalinchuk, Father Mykola Mogilny from Kiev, and an Orthodox priest from Genoa, Italy, philosopher and poet Mario Selvini. In the movie you can also hear Vukan Markovic – PhD, professor at Cambridge University in the UK, Yuri Bardash – a native of Donbass, producer and creator of popular music projects, as well as opinions of people and children recorded on the streets of Rome, Moscow, Kiev and Belgrade.
Mirko Radenovic said that the value of the film is that it is based on the stories of people who have experienced firsthand Kiev’s attempts to trample religious freedoms. “The movie consists of many interviews, including Kusturica, Serbian, Russian, Ukrainian, Italian priests,” Radenovic said. “We want everyone to watch the picture and start thinking about what is happening in the world, how to be and how to live on.” “It’s important to listen to intelligent people and make choices for yourself,” he said confidently. – What is happening today around the Church in Ukraine is super relevant, these problems can manifest themselves in other countries as well.” This is what Radenovic explained the great interest in the movie and the resonance it produced. “The message of the picture is that what is happening now should not be allowed, it is abnormal, inhuman, he emphasized. – There is always faith in justice, it will sooner or later triumph”.
https://magazin.politika.rs/scc/clanak/572566/Zivot/kusturica-ukrajina-pravoslavlje-film
