Director Sergey Debizhev, author of the documentary projects "The Holy Archipelago" and "The Cross," is starting work on a full-length non-fiction film "The Solovetsky Miracle." The film is being produced by the Two Captains film company with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. The painting is dedicated to little—known heroic pages of Russian history - the defense of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Solovetsky Monastery from the British squadron in 1854, during the Crimean War.
"Firstly, the fact that this war is called the Crimean war confuses everyone. Everyone thinks that this war was in Crimea, and it was a world war in which a huge number of countries participated. And there were extensive military operations, many of which were at sea. The British's claims to world domination went so far that they reached the White Sea, across the Arctic Ocean, and sailed to Solovki. They were absolutely sure that this was a fortress, and if they captured it, then the North of Russia would be in their hands. But the monks managed to drive off the English squadron. This, of course, is really a miracle," the press service of the Two Captains film company quotes Sergei Debizhev as saying.
The film crew is trying to uncover the spiritual component of historical events. The monastery, which in those years was the northern outpost of Russia, was subjected to mass bombing from the newest ships. However, according to the chroniclers, none of the defenders of the monasteries were killed or injured, and the British ships had to retreat in disgrace. "The nature of the shelling, the latest ships, the latest guns, and the colossal number of projectiles fired — and not a single person was killed.… This is an amazing page in our history," said the director.
According to him, in the person of the vicar of the Solovetsky Monastery, Bishop Porfiry of Ozersk, the filmmakers have a real ally: "We are given a maximum-favored-nation regime. There is already an agreement that he himself will act as one of the experts of the film." The inhabitants of the monastery will also take part in the film, actors and reenactors will be involved.
Large-scale filming will take place in several stages. The first expedition to Solovki is scheduled for the first half of July. The creators intend to use modern technology to recreate historical events. Some of the scenes were shot on the ship "Poltava" in St. Petersburg. 
The work on the film is timed to coincide with the 600th anniversary of the Solovetsky Monastery, which will be widely celebrated in 2029. 
Mikhail Skigin, producer of the film and co-founder of the Two Captains film Company, notes: "Solovki is the most powerful spiritual center of Russia. The story of his defense, which we tell in the film, has no analogues in the world. Through her, we clearly show what Russian traditional values, fortitude, and our firm response to external aggression are. It's our DNA. Therefore, this page of history is the most important, especially in our time. We are happy to take on the creation of the film, this topic is close to us — in light of the fact that we made the film "Holy Archipelago" and we know and understand everything there very well. The relevance of the film can hardly be overestimated. Therefore, we plan to actively include the film in the program for celebrating the 600th anniversary of Solovki, and we are also working on a plan for a wide national distribution and a series of special screenings for schoolchildren and students within the framework of the programs of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Culture. We have big plans."
Representatives of the clergy, well-known scientists, and employees of the Solovetsky Maritime Museum will take part in the film as experts. Work on the project is expected to take about two years.