The premiere of the documentary film “Devotion” took place in Almaty, telling about the life of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan

December 13, 2023. Alma-Ata. The premiere of the documentary film “Devotion”, which tells about the activities of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, took place in the Kinopark cinema hall. The release of the film is dedicated to a significant date - the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Metropolitan District in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The director of the film is the famous documentarian Andrei Andreev, winner of the Milan Film Festival, author of the works “Shepherds”, “People’s Doctor”, “Patriarchal Choir” and others.

Work on the film was carried out with the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan with the participation of the Apostle public foundation, headed by President G.G. Sosnovsky. The film crew, which included Kazakh and foreign specialists, the administration of the Alma-Ata Theological Seminary and employees of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, worked for several months in 2023 in Astana, Alma-Ata and Karaganda, Alma-Ata, Akmola and Karaganda regions.

The film tells about the spiritual, educational, social, charitable and peacemaking activities of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, about interfaith dialogue and the relationship of the Church with the state and society. The film touches on the theme of political repression of the twentieth century and talks about the help of the Kazakh people to innocent people who found themselves in exile and camps on the territory of the Republic. Interviews with hierarchs and clergy, prominent public figures of Kazakhstan and ordinary citizens of the country alternate with demonstrations of historical and cultural attractions, unique views of Kazakhstan’s nature.

The main guest of the premiere was the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan. Among the honored guests are the vicars of the Astana diocese - Bishop Claudian of Taldykorgan and Bishop Benjamin of Talgar; Secretary of the Metropolitan District, Honored Artist of Russia O.N. Ovchinnikov; Head of the Department of Religious Affairs of the city of Almaty N.M. Kikimov; President of the public foundation "Apostle" G.G. Sosnovsky.

The premiere screening was attended by the rectors of churches, teachers and students of the Alma-Ata Orthodox Theological Seminary, employees of the diocesan administration, art historians, film critics, and journalists.

Before the screening of the film, the director of the film, Andrei Andreev, addressed those present in the hall, who briefly told the audience about the concept of the film and the peculiarities of the work of the film crew. The creator of the film noted the main themes of his work - a story about a person’s love for God, which is expressed in acts of mercy, compassion and mutual support, about the love of Kazakhstanis for their home - Kazakhstan, about the friendship between people that reigns on the land of the Great Steppe. According to him, the appearance of the film is a real miracle. “This miracle happened thanks to the Lord. And I thank all the people without whom this miracle would not have been possible. Because the Lord works miracles through people,” the director said. Andrei Andreev noted that all the material filmed over several months could not fit into the format of one film, so he expressed hope for a continuation - the appearance of the next parts of the film.

After the show, Metropolitan Alexander addressed those present in the hall. The head of the Metropolitan District warmly thanked the director, film crew and president of the Apostle Foundation, Georgy Gennadievich Sosnovsky, who jointly implemented this large-scale project, reflecting the diverse activities of the Church for the benefit of the Kazakh people. “Our country, blessed Kazakhstan, shows the whole world an example of intercivilizational, interreligious and interethnic dialogue. The Orthodox Church has always taken and will take the most active part in preserving and increasing this precious treasure bequeathed to us by our ancestors. The bishop, clergy and believers, through their work, invariably contribute to the development of spiritual and cultural life, the preservation of the historical heritage and good traditions of the past and the increase in moral values in society,” the archpastor emphasized. At the end of his speech, the Metropolitan congratulated everyone on the upcoming New Year.

President of the Apostle Foundation G.G. Sosnovsky presented the Head of the Metropolitan District with the first gift copy of the recording of the film “Service”.

The documentary film will be shown to mass audiences in Kazakhstan and in a number of countries in Eastern and Western Europe.