The director Eduard Novikov, the screenwriter Semyon Ermolaev, the production designer Mikhail Egorov, and the actors Sergey Peregudov and Valery Savvinov introduced the film At the Edge of the World, which is part of the Russian Premiere Competition of the 48th Moscow International Film Festival.
The film is set in Yakutia in the first half of the XIX century. Archbishop Amvrosiy goes to the snowy steppe to visit the newly baptized Tungus people, accompanied by the disgraced monk Kiriak, who had once refused to baptize the "foreigners" together at once. A blizzard starts on their way. The pagan guide Garpuni saves the archbishop’s life, while the newly baptized Stepan leaves Kyriak to freeze to death. The elder’s death becomes a miracle of unity: the unbaptized Tungus people themselves come to the faith of Kiriak and Amvrosiy finally sees the truth: that all are equal before God and that love knows no distinction between the baptized and the pagans.
Eduard Novikov: "Semyon Ermolaev first brought this project to us 20 years ago; it’s based on a story by the great writer Nikolai Leskov, and it’s a truly fascinating and interesting tale about our lands. In 2018, when the film The Lord Eagle triumphed at the Moscow Film Festival, we got back to this idea and make the film At the Edge of the World".
Semyon Ermolaev: "Even during Leskov’s time, Leo Tolstoy called him the writer of the future. I told the director Eduard Novikov that all indigenous peoples are looking forward to the release of this film. Leskov’s time as the writer of the future has finally come".
Mikhail Egorov: "I’m a theater designer myself, so I was curious to try myself in filmmaking. Plus, I live in an Orthodox community, and I was very interested to work on this story".
Sergey Peregudov: "This work had a difficult journey. As Leskov said, this story is not only for small ethnic groups, but for all Orthodox Christians, there is food for soul and mind here. I think this is a very important topic, because there are no clear answers, only food for thought. Leskov weaves a thread of irony, and that is what is the most valuable. I want to believe that people will feel this".
Valery Savvinov: "When I was offered this role, I immediately thought of the clash between faith, Orthodox and pagan, Northern. I am a northern man myself, I have Evenk and Yakut blood running through my veins. For me, this was a very personal project. I really liked the script. Everyone has their own, individual faith, but the path to God is the same for everyone".
The film is set in Yakutia in the first half of the XIX century. Archbishop Amvrosiy goes to the snowy steppe to visit the newly baptized Tungus people, accompanied by the disgraced monk Kiriak, who had once refused to baptize the "foreigners" together at once. A blizzard starts on their way. The pagan guide Garpuni saves the archbishop’s life, while the newly baptized Stepan leaves Kyriak to freeze to death. The elder’s death becomes a miracle of unity: the unbaptized Tungus people themselves come to the faith of Kiriak and Amvrosiy finally sees the truth: that all are equal before God and that love knows no distinction between the baptized and the pagans.
Eduard Novikov: "Semyon Ermolaev first brought this project to us 20 years ago; it’s based on a story by the great writer Nikolai Leskov, and it’s a truly fascinating and interesting tale about our lands. In 2018, when the film The Lord Eagle triumphed at the Moscow Film Festival, we got back to this idea and make the film At the Edge of the World".
Semyon Ermolaev: "Even during Leskov’s time, Leo Tolstoy called him the writer of the future. I told the director Eduard Novikov that all indigenous peoples are looking forward to the release of this film. Leskov’s time as the writer of the future has finally come".
Mikhail Egorov: "I’m a theater designer myself, so I was curious to try myself in filmmaking. Plus, I live in an Orthodox community, and I was very interested to work on this story".
Sergey Peregudov: "This work had a difficult journey. As Leskov said, this story is not only for small ethnic groups, but for all Orthodox Christians, there is food for soul and mind here. I think this is a very important topic, because there are no clear answers, only food for thought. Leskov weaves a thread of irony, and that is what is the most valuable. I want to believe that people will feel this".
Valery Savvinov: "When I was offered this role, I immediately thought of the clash between faith, Orthodox and pagan, Northern. I am a northern man myself, I have Evenk and Yakut blood running through my veins. For me, this was a very personal project. I really liked the script. Everyone has their own, individual faith, but the path to God is the same for everyone".