Ancient TalkThe Holy Archipelago Святой Архипелаг
The film plays from YouTube, so it needs an internet connection.
Above: the official trailer and interviews with the director. Open on YouTube · Official trailer
Watch the full film free (98 min): Fawesome · YOW.tv (opens in a new tab; may show ads, and availability can vary by country)
A quiet, prayerful look at life in the Solovetsky Monastery on the Solovki Islands, in the far north of Russia. Filmed over about two years, it follows the brothers through prayer and the services, in conversation, and amid the islands’ nature through every season.
The film was made with the blessing of the monastery’s abbot, Bishop Porphyry, and shows a monastic tonsure on film for the first time. It won the Silver St George for best film in the documentary competition at the 44th Moscow International Film Festival (2022). Music is by Vyacheslav Butusov.
This English-subtitled version is shared by the film’s studio, Two Captains, on their YouTube channel.