Nikita Mikhalkov showed a movie about his own failure
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And the Romanian director-priest explained his arrival at the MIFF
The 44th Moscow International Film Festival is increasingly reminiscent of the Rotterdam Film Festival of debut and auteur films, which show films by emerging directors, mainly from third world countries. There are very few foreign guests at the IFF. An Orthodox priest from Romania arrived, a group from Bangladesh, ahead of films from Uruguay, Bolivia, Sri Lanka.
Father Ciprian (Cyprian) Mega – an Orthodox priest and film director rolled into one – presented his second film – “The Voice of One Crying in the Wilderness” – in the main competition. His debut “Endless Morning” (2016) participates in the program “Around the World in 8 Days” and tells about a mother forced into prostitution in Cyprus to provide for her Moldovan family. “The Voice of One Crying in the Wilderness” is dedicated to the deeds of the Orthodox priest George Kalchu Dumitrias, who lived during the times of communist and atheistic Romania. He was a political prisoner and suffered for his convictions. Ceausescu considered this poor man, according to Father Ciprian, his personal enemy. Kalchu’s sermons contributed to the national awakening of the people and, apparently, had a strong influence on our guest, although they never met in person.
The film has not yet been seen in Romania. The producer of the picture was the wife of Ciprian’s father. This is an independent film made without the help of the state. The director appeared at the premiere dressed as a priest.
“I know that in Russia the clergy also make films on religious themes,” Father Ciprian says. — For Romania, it is unusual and strange when a priest makes a movie. I am in the service of truth and freedom. These two activities are intertwined. They are united by the desire for Jesus Christ. Kalchu’s father made a revolution in Romania with his feat. But do not think that our common people consider him a hero. Today he is little known, mainly to the clergy. The current society professes other values. The church did not consider Kalcha a part of itself, but he was a bright figure, and it is difficult for modern society to accept him.
The conversation turned to Ceausescu. The position of our guest is that the Romanian people are not responsible for his death. He says that the decision to liquidate it was made across the ocean, in order to later lay the responsibility on the Romanian people. “The Church cannot wish death on any dictator, no matter how cruel he may be,” Father Ciprian says. He explained his arrival in Moscow in spite of the sanctions as follows: “Today, the Iron Curtain has reappeared in Europe, but on both sides of it there are people, souls that the Lord wants to take to himself, to the Kingdom of Heaven. It is important to understand this. Freedom is the most important gift he has given us, and we must fight for it, regardless of place of birth and language. The man is free. I wanted to talk in my film about the value of human life. This is my message and what Kalchu called for.”
The film was shot very quickly. The script was written in 2 weeks, and shooting began in July 2022. And the film was conceived during a pandemic, when, according to the director, damage was done to freedom and the time came for an experiment on the souls of people. “Some of the cast members are my friends. When I invited them, they thought it was a joke, Father Ciprian recalls. “I took a risk with this film. In the West, it is hard to accept, and I am glad that I have the honor to present it in Moscow. We are connected with you on this topic. You also had martyrs during the Soviet era.”
Before the premiere, Father Ciprian said that a priest has a conscience, just like an artist. “When a priest is told that he should not come somewhere, that there is an “iron curtain”, then, on the contrary, he should go there and hug people. So is the artist. When he is told that he must follow a certain political line, then he should not do so. That’s the reason why I came. For example, I came to the store for paints, and the seller tells me: “This paint is not for you. It is for those who tell sophisticated stories; that blue paint is not for you, but for Nikita Mikhalkov. Shades of blue for Almodovar and Penelope Cruz, black for the eccentric Kusturica. What should I draw then? I can take a piece of paper left by a great artist, smear my hands with mud and start my story.
Returning to Mikhalkov, I must say that he organized the most mysterious session. It was a special screening for their own, and it was impossible to register for it, like for other paintings. The documentary “History of a Failed Film” tells how in 1993 Nikita Sergeevich shot and edited a feature film “Remembering Chekhov”, and when he saw what came of it, he decided not to show it. Almost 30 years have passed since then, and a documentary was born, where Mikhalkov is trying to figure out the reasons for the failure and shows fragments from Remembering Chekhov. He himself created intrigue, provided a full house. People came, but did not get into the hall.
Newspaper headline:
Mikhalkov – unreleased, color blue
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