The production Optimistic Film, in co-production with TS Media, with the Blessing of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church and in cooperation with the Brotherhood of the Hilandar Monastery, has started a project for a feature-length documentary film and series “Saint Sava”. Filming has been completed on Mount Athos in the Monasteries of Hilandar, Vatopedi, Old Russikon, the Pateritsa cell, and other places related to the life and work of Saint Sava on Mount Athos, and now it continues throughout Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the USA.
In front of the United States Capitol on May 30 and 31, a major filming of a part of the documentary film and series Saint Sava was completed. As a production partner, the Serbian Cultural Center “Opančići” hosted the filming of segments of the film and series that vividly write new pages and document new “stations” on the paths of Saint Sava through the diaspora. Gathering Serbs in Washington and friends of traditional folklore dance and song, as the highlight of the program, they also danced in the area in front of the US Congress building, and numerous observers also joined the Great Saint Sava Kolo, while a large choir performed the Hymn to Saint Sava. The filming then continued in New York with the Bishop of Eastern America, Bishop Irinej.
“The documentary film and series about Saint Sava continue their filming in the United States of America, which additionally confirms the production scope and international character of TS Media production. It is especially important to us that through this project we get the opportunity to document the life, identity, and spiritual heritage of our people in the diaspora, preserving connections with cultural tradition outside the borders of the region. It is precisely projects like this that confirm the strategic commitment of TS Media to the development of content that has a strong social and educational value, but also the capacity to transcend local frameworks and become part of a wider international production space,” said Aleksandra Martinović, director of the Multimedia Directorate of Telekom Srbija.
“Spirituality, education, identity, commitment to family, nobility, the need to serve our lineage and people, to preserve Serbian tradition and build bridges of harmony and friendship among cultures and nations, are just some of the timeless values that Saint Sava established for us. We, the Serbs in Washington, in honor of our ancestors and out of a vow to our descendants, but also out of an innate need to live in the spirit of Saint Sava’s legacy, have integrated these testaments into our living and working environment. The Serbian Cultural Center ‘Opančići’, which has been nurturing the beauty of Serbian cultural heritage and the Serbian language in Washington for almost two decades, whole-heartedly joined the team of Optimistic Film of Dr. Željko Mirković as a production partner,” stated Dr. Danica Marinac Dabić, executive producer and director of the Serbian Cultural Center “Opančići” from Washington.
“Filming in front of the United States Capitol carries a strong symbolism of the encounter between tradition, identity, and the universal values that Saint Sava represents. Performing the Saint Sava Kolo and the Hymn to Saint Sava at this location is not only an expression of respect for the Serbian cultural and spiritual heritage but also a message about the importance of education, peace, dialogue, and unity among nations. Of particular importance for this project is also the interview in New York City with the Bishop of Eastern America Irinej Dobrijević, whose reflections on the contemporary significance of Saint Sava give an additional spiritual, historical, and social dimension to this achievement. Today, Saint Sava transcends the borders of a single nation and becomes a cultural symbol that connects different communities through the ideas of humanity, knowledge, and mutual understanding, building bridges of global dialogue and unification,” stated director and producer Dr. Željko Mirković.
Production: Optimistic Film and TS Media
With the Blessing of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church and in cooperation with the Brotherhood of the Hilandar Monastery.
Endowers of the project: Dr. Nenad Janićijević, Dr. Milena Janićijević, Miloš Kosta Papić, Maja Papić, Dr. Bora Janićijević, Dr. Nada Janićijević-Ghadimis, Dr. Jelica Janićijević-Mejz
Producers: Dr. Željko Mirković, Director: Dr. Željko Mirković
Screenplay: Prof. Dr. Vladislav Puzović, Mihajlo Vitezović,
Script supervisor: Dr. Željko Mirković, Director of photography: Ognjen Milović
Executive producers: Mikan Velinović, Vladimir Vasić, Đorđe Jovičić
Line producer: Tamara Dinić Mirković, Editor: Pavle Nikić,
Composer: Dejan Ilijić; Sound design: Alexander Perović,
Camera and drone: Dragan Đorđević, Production team: Dragan Bajić, Snežana Miletić, Design: Marija Marić
Production partner: American Council for Eastern Europe, Serbian Cultural Center “Opančići” Washington, Faculty of Orthodox Theology, Belgrade, Belgrade City Museum
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Source: Optimistik film, Photo: Optimistik film