Church seeks to block screening of film about Romanian priest in Sibiu
The Archdiocese of Sibiu, in central Romania, has sent an open letter requesting that the film "Arsenie. The Afterlife" directed by Alexandru Solomon not be screened in Sibiu county, arguing that it is ridiculing Romania’s spiritual values.
In the letter, the Archdiocese says that Romania’s “hard-won freedom of expression, earned with the blood of the heroes of the 1989 Revolution, is constantly used to denigrate the Romanian people, its enduring spiritual values, and, in particular, the Orthodox Church.”
The Archdiocese also argues that the film is part of a “neo-Marxist endeavor” and that it is falsely categorized as a documentary. “This so-called documentary film caricaturizes and profanes the memory of Father Arsenie Boca, who, even during his lifetime, was revered by our people as the Saint of Transylvania. Father Arsenie was a monastic with a divine calling who, in a spiritual sense, nurtured generations of believers,” the letter says, cited by G4Media.
The letter requests the leadership of CNM Astra and the Astra Film Festival to prohibit the screening of the film in the county, even though the director had received approval from the Archdiocese to film at Sâmbăta de Sus Monastery. “Father Arsenie's life is grossly and insultingly trivialized: a character representing Father Arsenie is seen smoking in monastic attire, demonstrating throughout the film through gestures, attitudes, and explicit words a deep-seated hatred and antipathy toward the great spiritual figure. [...] The mockery of the Church and the values of our people through this film means that its public projection, at a festival organized by institutions of the Romanian state, brings serious damage to the image of our Church," the letter concludes.
Astra Film Festival responded to the request from the Archdiocese of Sibiu to withdraw the film "Arsenie: The Afterlife," from the festival in Sibiu County. "In 30 years, Astra Film Festival has never censored any film,” the organizers of the festival said. “This is a non-negotiable principle. We strongly believe in an open society where free discussion about anything is possible. The request to remove a film from the festival, to prevent its distribution, amounts to censorship, is unconstitutional [...], and ultimately infringes on the right and freedom of the audience to watch a film," the statement continues, cited by G4Media.
“Astra Film Festival has never and will never attack the values of the Romanian Orthodox Church. Ten years ago, we presented another film about Arsenie Boca, directed by Nicolae Mărgineanu, with a different perspective and approach, a production that was extraordinarily successful. We note that things are already escalating excessively around this topic, which can lead to a situation where the assessment of the film will no longer be related to what the director has achieved; it will only be a public scandal. And this is not in the interest of any responsible person,” the Sibiu festival organizers said in their response.
Earlier this month, the showing of the same film in the western Romanian county of Arad was canceled after the local public institutions hosting the event received threats. The film was still screened later at a private venue.
(Photo source: arsenie.viatadeapoi.ro)
