16 minutes of sacred time that'll make you want to move to a Russian village immediately.
The "Good News" is a film dedicated to one of the main holidays of Orthodox Christians: the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos. The main idea of this holiday is the beginning of the liberation of the human race from sins and eternal death, the joyful news about the upcoming birth of Jesus Christ. The film shows how people living in the remote Russian village are preparing for the Annunciation, marking the turning point of winter and the beginning of field work. Everyday details of the parish community life help to feel Russian Orthodox customs that have been formed for centuries.
Cinematography
Stunning rural compositions that make 16mm feel like a religious experience.
Production
Authentic village access — you can practically smell the woodsmoke.
Director
Vladimir Osminin
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The Annunciation falls on April 7 in the Julian calendar, making this film a document of spring's spiritual rather than meteorological arrival.
Directors Osminin and Milovidov were part of a 1990s wave of Russian filmmakers documenting threatened rural traditions before collective farm collapse erased them.
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