“Metropolitan Andrey” on “UТ-1” (УТ-1)

On January 10, 2010, at 6:40 p.m., at the First National Channel, a showing of of Oles’ Yanchuk’s film “Metropolitan Andrey” will take place. The first presentation of the film took place on August 23, 2008, in the capital’s movie theater Kyiv. According to the thought of the director, the film had to cover the whole life of Metropolitan Andrey – from him as six-year-old to his last breath – in order to present the portrait of man who was tempted and betrayed but received all with love and prayer. “The metropolitan had a very multifaceted personality. It is possible to make a whole video series about him. With the film “Metropolitan Andrey” we only just begin to uncover the life of this extraordinary person,” said Oles’ Yanchuk at a press conference after the pre-premiere showing.  A project to make a film about Andrey Sheptytskyj began in 2001. The filming began in 2005. To play the leading role Yanchuk invited three people: 12-year-old Roman Hryniv, Taras Postnikov, and the respected artist of Ukraine Serhiy Romanyuk. The last one brilliantly played the role, and when he was in a make-up, he did not recognize himself. “Previously I only had typical roles. I played generals, representatives of armed forces, former prisoners. When I was offered to play Metropolitan Andrey, I said that I was afraid. It is not easy to portray this figure. I did not feel that I could play it. It was only possible to incarnate in it,” said Serhiy Romanyuk, for Young Ukraine. For the reenactment the actor studied thoroughly the life of the metropolitan, and to better master spiritual life spent three days in a monastery.  Bishop Bohdan (Dzyurakh), the spiritual consultant for the film, turned special attention on the fact that the film creates an atmosphere to think about the history of the Ukrainian nation, the history of the Ukrainian Church, the history which passed through the heart of the metropolitan. A special moment for Bishop Bohdan was the personal feeling of being together with the protagonist. “Though it was only two hours, the movie has created an extraordinary feeling of meeting with the Metropolitan, the general survival with him the fate of the Ukrainian nation. The movie showed to us Metropolitan Andrey as a person who is capable to lead us into the depths of spiritual life.” Bishop Bohdan thanked the artistic group which created the film and the state which financed the greater part of this film.

Information Department of the UGCC