Russian Film ‘Ostrov’ (‘The Island’) Now Available Free Online - Youtube and Amazon Prime - Saint Nino Orthodox Church

Ostrov (The Island) is a 2006 Russian film about a fictional 20th century Eastern Orthodox monk. The film closed the 2006 Venice Film Festival, proved to be a moderate box-office success and won both the Nika Award and the Golden Eagle Award as the Best Russian film of 2006.

The film is focused on Father Anatoly’s repentance of his sin and therefore the virtually continuous occurrence of the Jesus Prayer.

The simplicity, the humbleness, the remoteness, the miracles converge into creating a timeless snapshot of Orthodox spirituality, apart from the historical circumstances. The Patriarch of Moscow, Alexei II, praised Ostrov for its profound depiction of faith and monastic life, calling it a “vivid example of an effort to take a Christian approach to culture.

Available on Amazon Prime here:

https://www.amazon.com/Island-Pyotr-Mamonov/dp/B071JXBP52

Ten years on from its initial 2006 release, the Russian film ‘Ostrov’ (‘The Island’) is this year available in full on-line for free, with English subtitles. A challenging, moving film on the nature of repentance within Orthodox spirituality, the film raises a number of themes studied by our students inModule CS03 of the Certificate Program, as well as in other contexts. Loved by some, disliked by others, the film is certainly one that should be seen by all — and we are happy to provide a link to it for Institute students and visitors.

SOURCE: The Sts. Cyril & Athanasius Institute for Orthodox Studies