2 Comments

Rod, while we're talking about sharing, there are a couple of films by Orthodox Christians I wanted to mention to you.

I can't remember if you've posted about SACRED ALASKA, but it is showing remarkable appeal through a truly grass roots screening process, in which Orthodox parishes across America (including several in Alaska) are sponsoring and hosting screenings. There are some modest up front costs, plus a time commitment to contact theaters and be the "boots on the ground" to handle scheduling and local promotion. The trailer is stunning, the back story is very compelling, and reviews are excellent. It recently benefits from an Q&A with the director, and a review, both by Jovan Tripkovic. Links:

website: http://sacredalaskafilm.com

Tripkovic - Q&A: https://religionunplugged.com/news/2024/3/5/qampa-with-simon-scionka-director-of-the-sacred-alaska-documentary

Tripkovic - Review: https://religionunplugged.com/news/2024/3/14/sacred-alaska-masterfully-explores-native-alaskan-culture-and-orthodox-faith

But it doesn't stop there. In director Simon Scionka's latest email update, he mentioned what seemed like a curious film project, a story about a monastic fool for Christ on the Texas Coast, titled 'EL TONTO POR CRISTO - The Unlikeliness of Sainthood'. It is being produced by a husband and wife creative team, and is generating a slowly growing buzz of interest. It has this description on their Facebook page: "A feature film in post-production about a clairvoyant monk in the Eastern Orthodox tradition."

There is an abundance of riches on the film's website and Facebook page, so I am going to share only a couple more quotes, and a link:

"Josh David Jordan’s script for El Tono Por Cristo is drawn from real accounts of the lives of saints and monks of the Eastern Orthodox Church. In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, the lines between the mystical, the enchanted, and the real continue to be blurred to this day."

And this from their ABOUT page on the website:

"The Holy is too great and too terrible when encountered directly for men of normal sanity to be able to contemplate it comfortably. Only those who cannot care for the consequences run the risk of the direct confrontation of the Holy.” Jaroslav Pelikan

Sounds like it's right up your alley, eh?

They indicated a couple of weeks ago on their Facebook page that they still had a post-production financial gap, and are still seeking investors, so I thought I'd mention it to you as a comment on a relatively obscure post.

One last hook I just stumbled across while grabbing the link: Jordan has been strongly influenced by Terrence Malick, and he was recently interviewed by One Big Soul/Terrence Malick regarding this new project. "El Tonto features several Malick veterans, such as producer Reno Lauro (The Tree of Life and Voyage of Time) and director of photography Chris Bourke (Song To Song)." There's a six minute interview/concept video from One Big Soul which gets into Jordan's inner journey and reveals the heart of El Tonto:

https://fb.watch/qVF1RRhfnJ/

Good Strength to you for Lent. Thanks for throwing yourself into the fray on a daily basis. Many blessings to you...

https://www.eltontoporcristo.com

Expand full comment

If you want to grow the list I think a month’s free access must be a better bet. I am more confident sending this round with a recommendation to ‘try this, it’s free for a month’ than to assume it should be paid for. I am also concerned that most of my friends, like me, are close to peak subscription levels. There comes a point where we say ‘no more, I’m full’.

Expand full comment