On October 22, 2026, in Moscow, at the Solzhenitsyn House of the Russian Abroad, an award ceremony was held for the winners of the XII St. Vladimir Festival of Spiritual, Moral and Family Cinema. The main award in the Orthodox Film category was given to the documentary film "Antonin Kapustin — the creator of Russian Palestine."
The 75-minute film directed by Artyom Prokhorov is dedicated to the life and work of an outstanding 19th-century church figure, Archimandrite Antonin (Kapustin), who played a key role in establishing the Russian presence in the Holy Land.
Coming from a family of a rural priest, Archimandrite Antonin was not only a church ascetic, but also a talented scientist, archaeologist, writer, astronomer and diplomat. Thanks to his many years of work in the Holy Land, plots of land associated with the most important events of biblical history were acquired, conditions for pilgrimage were created and the spiritual presence of the Russian Orthodox Church in Palestine was strengthened.
The picture opens with an introductory speech by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. Sergei Stepashin, Chairman of the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society, and Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage Museum, also took part in the filming.
The film was created by Studio Icon Film Company with the participation of the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society and financial support from the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. The screenplay was written by Elena Milyaeva and produced by Igor Lapshin.
The St. Vladimir Festival has been held since 2015 and is aimed at supporting cinema that promotes spiritual, moral and family values. In 2026, it was held for the first time in two cities at once — Sevastopol and Moscow. 315 applications were received by the organizers.
The documentary's victory proved the interest in the spiritual and historical legacy of Archimandrite Antonin (Kapustin), whose works are of great importance to the Russian Orthodox Church today. The film reminds of the people who helped preserve the holy shrines dear to the heart of an Orthodox person in the Holy Land and laid the foundations for the Russian pilgrimage presence.