Flashes about the project of the series

The short film presented here is just a flash on various items that can be developed from the many interviews and shootings made in the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Aleksandr Men murder. It was a tragic event – murder is always a tragedy – but at the same time a joyful event, as martyrdom for faith is always something that brings joy to Christian consciousness. Many of Aleksandr Men's friends, spiritual children and parishioners are sure that it was not just a common death but the death of a martyr for faith.

Our studio is looking for partners and sponsor for a series of short films focused on this famous priest. As many aspects of his polyhydric activity are worth knowing, we foreseen a series of at least 6 episodes.

One very interesting topic is the tactics of survival of Christian believers during the severe persecutions in the USSR. Fr. Aleksandr and his family had an intense life and religious experience in the so called “Catacomb Church”.

We could also explore Fr. Aleksandr preaching of an "open Christianity", at a time there was no dialog between Christian Churches, and how he discovered that ecumenical dimension focusing on Jesus, "The Son of Man".

Fr. Aleksandr raised eternal questions, and gave people the reply to their spiritual needs: that’s why he was the worst ideological enemy of the atheistic authorities and of the KGB in charge of “communist orthodoxy”. His murder, in his brother Pavel opinion, “was an act of revenge from those who maintained a contrary ideology”.

Further on we can speak also about the books written by Fr.Aleksandr, showing the context – a desert where taking gospel at home was at risk of imprisonment. Several generations were cut off from any spiritual education in USSR. But in this wilderness people felt great thirst for the sense of life, for the truth. Books like "Son of Man", "Sacrament, Word and Image", "Bibliological Dictionary", based on the very serious research and profound knowledge of the author, were the best reply to this thirst.

These and many more topics will be realized thanks to the contributions of the Aleksandr Men Foundation, independent experts, interviews to his spiritual sons, a large set of archive materials and VHS cassettes mainly registered during the last two years of his life, spent by F. Aleksandr spent in an unremitting series of meetings, conferences, interviews, and charity, missionary and publishing activities.