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There are countless festivals that aim to inspire audiences often relying on ambitious vision statements that feel contrived and stale, then there are some who touch the very soul of the viewer – the première of Quo Vadis International Film Festival in Romania was such an experience. As one of Quo Vadis’ partners, it was a huge honour for myself as Byzanfest’s Festival Director & Founder to be invited to attend. However, the biggest blessing of all was to meet all the filmmakers, including several past Byzanfest’s winners.
Set in the beautiful town of Iasi between 7th – 10th November, the purpose of the festival’s name – which translates to, “Where are you going?” – was for each audience member to ponder this question within the context of the festival’s theme of “freedom”. This theme was deliberately chosen to celebrate 35 years since the fall of Communism, reflecting on the suffering of those who lived through this horrific chapter in Romania’s history.
Quo Vadis was more than just a regular film festival. Its goal was to, “cultivate the spiritual and cultural heritage of Christianity through film, highlighting the transformative power of film, its ability to reflect the human experience through the lens of Christian spirituality, while encouraging the dialogue and communion within and beyond.” The festival chose a number of features and short-films from around the world, including Romania, Serbia, Greece, Georgia, USA, Kyrgyz Republic and Kazakhstan.
The festival was held in several historical buildings across Iasi’s city centre. Some of these films included the multi-award winning A Cross in the Desert (Best Feature-Film, Byzanfest 2022). Though this was the seventh-time I saw the movie, what made this screening special was the opportunity to venerate the relics of Saint Paraskeva which are housed at Iasi’s Metropolitan Cathedral. The highly successful Man of God movie, directed by Yelena Popovic, was screened to a very enthusiastic audience. Another Byzanfest award-winning selection was the Romanian-made short-film, 500. It was also the Romanian première of Ivan Jovic’s latest feature, Lazarus’ Path, which will be screening at the next Byzanfest.
Despite being the festival’s first-year, it didn’t allow that daunting task deter them. The event aimed high and delivered far beyond my expectations. The festival included roundtables, lectures and multiple interviews with influential filmmakers broadcast across the Romanian Orthodox Church’s vast and extensive network of media channels. I was honoured to present a lecture entitled, “The Moving Icon: Creativity & Salvation through Orthodox Cinema”.
There were many special guests, with special note of Elder Ephriam from the Monastery of Vatopedi, Mount Athos and Johnathon Jackson from USA. It was a huge pleasure to hear the inspiring words of the Elder and to receive his blessing. It was also quite a moving experience to hear from Mr. Jackson who spoke about his spiritual journey and offered stirring words regarding the spiritual mission of an artist.
One of the many memorable moments I experienced at Quo Vadis was being awarded by His Grace Archbishop and Metropolitan Teofan for my ongoing mission to spread Orthodoxy through media and culture. That night was one of my proudest moments as I stood alongside previous Byzanfest entrants with their Quo Vadis trophies.
Being my first-time to Romania, I was awestruck by the country. Nothing quite prepared me for the unbelievable, even magical, beauty of Romania’s landscapes, let alone it’s rich history and culture. I am forever indebted to the Quo Vadis enabling me to gain just a tiny appreciation of their remarkable history and learn about the victory of Orthodoxy among its people. I am incredibly grateful to the festival’s producer (Catalin Jeckel), creative director (Elena Dulgheru), sponsors, organising committees and team of volunteers for making me feel welcomed.
Byzanfest and Quo Vadis will continue to collaborate and raise awareness of Orthodox creativity through film.
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