The Old Believers

The Old Believers

| 56 min
Free
streaming

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This extraordinary film introduces us to the Reutov family, part of an isolated northern Alberta community called the Old Believers. Adhering to the original Orthodox Christian dogma and rituals introduced to ancient Rus (present-day Ukraine, Byelorussia and Russia) by the Greeks of Byzantium, the Old Believers see themselves as the last Christians left on the face of the Earth. Here in North America, for the first time in their history, they are threatened not by persecution, but by economic bounty and the western notion of personal freedom. Shot over the four seasons, the film is both a beautiful rendering of timeless rituals and a fascinating exploration of the Old Believers' turbulent history.

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The Old Believers, John Paskievich, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

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Credits
  • director
    John Paskievich
  • producer
    Joe MacDonald
    John Paskievich
  • executive producer
    Ches Yetman
  • script
    John Paskievich
    Amanda McConnell
  • cinematography
    Charles Konowal
  • animation camera
    Lorne Bailey
  • sound
    Michael Mirus
  • editing
    Charles Konowal
    Harvey Spak
  • sound editing
    Gloria Thorsteinson
    Michael Mirus
  • re-recording
    Clive Perry
  • narrator
    John Paskievich
  • music
    Randolph Peters

  • None

    Great film. The fate of the Old Believers mirrors the fate of the Ukrainians under Putin.

    None, 15 Aug 2022

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