Premiere of the Documentary Film on the Bigorski Monastery “1000 Years – Witness of the Light”

At the National Institution Macedonian National Theater, last night saw the premiere of the documentary film “1000 Years – Witness of the Light,” directed by Ilija Iko Karov, dedicated to the Bigorski Monastery, marking the significant jubilee of the monastery, capturing the spiritual monastic continuity through the centuries.

The premiere of the documentary film was simultaneously broadcasted on the National Service, on the YouTube channel, as well as on the official Facebook pages of the film and the Bigorski Monastery.

The premiere was attended by the monastic community of the Bigorski Monastery, led by Father Partenij, along with the head of the Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archbishopric, His Holiness Stefan, President Stevo Pendarovski, the Ministers of Interior Oliver Spasovski, Finance Fatmir Besimi, Economy Fatmir Besimi, Defense Slavjanka Petrovska, and Justice Nikola Tupančevski, as well as the Mayor of Skopje, Danela Arsovska.

– Premiere of the documentary film “1000 Years – Witness of the Light” dedicated to one of the most beautiful and significant Macedonian monasteries, St. John Bigorski. The pride of the Macedonian people and the Macedonian Church, the symbol of defiance, marking 1000 years of its existence, wrote President Pendarovski on his Facebook page.

Minister Spasovski wrote on his Facebook profile that the documentary film represents a testimony to the vitality of the Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archbishopric.

– In 2020, the Bigorski Monastery marked its millennium since its foundation in 1020, and the documentary “1000 Years – Witness of the Light” is a true culmination of this celebration, as a clear and extensive depiction of the monastic continuity through the centuries, the ascetic life of the monks from the Bigorski Monastery filled with prayer, with God’s word in the freedom of Christ, which has always represented a special, even mystical effect of God’s grace for the secular man. The Bigorski Monastery itself is a story about a sanctuary that radiates with its beauty, and the love that lives, the energy that springs from the Brotherhood, in fact, represents an essential and constructive element of the Bigorski faith, which further complements the grandeur of the monastery, Spasovski posted.

In a recent interview for MIA, director Karov said that the film talks about love, existence, forgotten values, spiritual transformation, and is a moral journey upwards towards eternity.

– Every thousand years in the Bigorski Monastery blooms a flower, which witnesses another beauty, not of this world. That is precisely that fifth element which gives origin to all those known four elements, that beauty which many enlightened and philosophically aware people have placed at the center, as the essence of wisdom. And this film is exactly about that beauty that once saved the world, director Karov said about the Bigorski film.

Karov stated that the film was made without financial support, but he and the entire team received much more in return.

– We simply did not need financial support. Our fees were wholeheartedly and without hesitation donated; it never came to anyone asking for any money. In return, we received much more, something that cannot be spent in a lifetime, but on the contrary, can be multiplied because light and love are the only two elements in our life that when shared, multiply, director Karov told MIA.

In the film’s review written by ethnologist Vladimir Delovski, it is stated that the film is authentic, truthful, and at its core is love.

– “The Witness of the Light” transitions, laying the foundations for a different kind of documentary on the Bigorski Monastery. Until now, we were accustomed only to a reportage approach. This film opens a perspective of originality, authenticity, immediacy, and experience. It is in harmony with tradition and narrative, but it also brings something new and original, its own. Without these elements, the film’s horizon remains closed or barren, as stated in the film’s review.

The documentary film “1000 Years – Witness of the Light” by “Kat Production” was filmed over nearly five years. (MIA)

Source: МИА.мк

Other media:

Курир.мк – Премиера на документарниот филм за Бигорски манастир „1000 години-Сведок на светлината“

ПлусИнфо.мк – „1.000 ГОДИНИ-СВЕДОК НА СВЕТЛИНАТА“ ПРЕМИЕРНО ИЗВЕДЕН ВО МНТ Документарецот говори за постоењето, заборавените вредности и љубовта

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МКД.мк – Премиера на документарниот филм за Бигорски манастир „1000 години-Сведок на светлината“

Бизнис Вести – Премиера на документарниот филм за Бигорски манастир „1000 години-Сведок на светлината”