The cycle on Peace, Forgiveness and Reconciliation is launched by two prize-winning documentaries “Stalingrad Madonna”, 2013 and “Cross or Sword?” , 2017.
“Stalingrad Madonna” in 2016 the film was nominated for the Best Director prize at the Vatican-based international Catholic film festival Mirabile Dictu. Two-hour program dedicated to the “Stalingrad Madonna” docu-drama was broadcast at the Russian national TV.
The second film of the cycle, “Cross or Sword?”, for the first time in the history personified the stories of Wolfgang Borchert, Germany-born classic of expressionism, on TV screen.
The docu-drama “Cross or Sword?” underlines that with all tragedies of two World Wars of the XX century, faith is stronger. The simple wooden cross of Jesus represents the unity of the Christian Church. That is why Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant clergy and laity participate in the film.
“Cross or Sword?” is finished by unique video archive of the pilgrimage of crosses in 1946. People of 16 European nations seeked for repentance and hope for a new beginning. And they united in a pilgrimage to one of the greatest Christian places in history – Vézelay, France. Thus Europe became united long before the European Union was founded officially in 1993.
The pain of the world and of the Christian Church comes today specially from the Middle East.Middle East is one of the Christianity cradles. Nowadays as at the very beginning Christians are severely persecuted there. The third film of the cycle on Peace and Reconciliation will talk about present conflicts in the Middle East and will reflect initiatives that could bring this land to peace and reconciliation.