25 November 2025
(Presentation of the movie. PHOTO: Kateryna Galenko, Intent)
The Odesa Regional Universal Scientific Library named after Mykhailo Hrushevsky hosted a screening of the film "Spiritual Struggle" directed by Nugzar Suaridze.
The film "Spiritual Struggle" tells the story of the path to independence of the churches of Ukraine and Georgia. The author delves into the centuries-old confrontation for the liberation of these churches from the influence of the Russian Church.
In the film, theologians and clergymen offer their views on Russian influence in the churches of Ukraine and Georgia.
The film also describes the assistance provided by Georgian Patriarch Leonid in 1919 to the Ukrainian autocephalists. The author delves into the factors that led to the fact that the current Georgian patriarchate does not recognize the autocephalous church of Ukraine.
The screening was followed by a discussion with the film's director Nugzar Suaridze, moderated by Valeriy Bolgan, editor-in-chief of Intent.
Nugzar Suaridze is an independent Georgian TV journalist. He came to Ukraine in 2022 to see the war, but created a film about another, no less critical battlefield: the centuries-old struggle for the independence of the churches of Ukraine and Georgia from Moscow's influence.
In particular, when asked whether something could change in the relations between Ukraine and Georgia before the change of power in Georgia, Nugzar replied that there is no such prospect yet.
The long interview with Nugzar Suaridze will soon be available on Intent's YouTube channel, and a shorter version will be available on our website.
Intent also made a selection of interviews with clergymen from southern Ukraine. The purpose of this series is to show the widest and most complete picture of religious life in the Odesa region.
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