The New Saint is a film about Yevgeny Rodionov, an ordinary young Russian boy who fell in the first Chechen war after being taken prisoner and refusing to convert to Islam. He was proclaimed a martyr and many Russians found in Yevgeny their own unofficial saint.
The life of Yevgeny’s mother underwent a radical change when her child ‘became’ a saint. By campaigning for his canonisation she keeps the memory of her son alive. The success of her mission is illustrated by the portrayal of Yevgeny’s image on icons throughout the country. Who is this holy soldier exactly and what makes him the perfect icon of Russia today?
Crew
Director & screenwriter: Allard Detiger
Producer: Volya Films
Co-producer: Serendipity Films
Director of photography: Maasja Ooms
Editor: Jan de Coster
Sound engineer: David Spaans
Sound designer: Ranko Paukovic
Composer: Paleis van Boem
Length
70 minutes
Year
2010
Genre
Documentary
Financiers
Netherlands Film Fund | Flanders Audiovisual Fund | Rotterdam Media Fund | Thuiskopie Fund
Festivals
IDFA 2010 | Planete Doc Film Festival 2011 | Thessaloniki Documentary Festival 2011 | International Film Festival Rotterdam 2011 | One World Romania 2011 | Full Frame Film Festival 2011 | Beldocs International Documentary Film Festival 2011 | MIP DOC