- Sacred Ground
- Some time ago the residents of concrete apartment blocks around Torfyanka park in Moscow would come here to walk their dogs, play with the kids or jog. Today they are two hostile parties fighting over a tiny piece of ground. Every Sunday half of them come to pray by a wooden cross accompanied by the priest and sporty right-wing Orthodox activists; another half shows up singing, whistling and playing loud music to interfere with the prayer service and to defend the park, which they want to stay public. Who could have imagined such a confrontation in a country, which used to be fully secular, even atheistic for decades? Still, since the Moscow government announced the plan to build two hundred new churches in town, collisions between orthodox believers and city-dwellers over construction sites have become common. At Torfyanka a strife between believers and park defenders has turned into a severe struggle with night watches, physical fights and mutual offence. For both parties Torfyanka has become a crucial point in life, which made them take a fresh look at their neighbours, the authorities and the country they live in.
EDN Member
Julia Shaginurova
Year
2018
Status
Finished Film
Video