The 43rd Moscow International Film Festival is over; Serbian actor and producer Miloš Biković was also a member of the jury, the best film was #dogpoopgirl from neighboring Romania, and the audience award this spring was won by the biographical drama Man of God, an international co-production by director and screenwriter Jelena Popović.
The film cast consists of international stars. Greek actor Aris Servetalis is in the lead role as Saint Nectarios of Aegina, next to Russian film star Alexander Petrov and Golden Globe winner Mickey Rourke.
Unlike his religious “superiors” – bishops and patriarchs enchanted by worldly honors and power – Nectarios cared for the poor, taught the villagers to read and write, inspired young men who entered the priesthood, wrote books and gave sermons that strengthened the faith of the people. Despite the efforts of the religious institution to discredit him, Saint Nectarios founded a monastery on Aegina, a barren and desolate island, which still stands today as a lighthouse for pilgrims. Even his last moments on Earth were used to help others: he handed his undershirt to a paralyzed man in a hospital bed next to his, after which the man got up and walked.