Alys Tomlinson is a photographer from London and the author of Ex-Voto Project dedicated to expressions of gratitude to God that can be seen in places of religious worship such as Lourdes (France), Ballyvourney (Ireland), and Grabarka (Poland).
Alys Tomlinson got to know Nun Vera (Gordienko) from our Convent during her trip to the Holy Mountain Grabarka. Thanks to a photo of Nun Vera (which is, by the way, one of the best photos of the Ex-Voto series), Ms. Tomlinson was declared Photographer of the Year at the annual Sony World Photography Awards held under the aegis of World Photography Organisation. Alys and her colleague Miss Marie-Cecile Embleton decided to use the prize to shoot a film about our Convent. Its working title is Vera (lit. Faith). They plan to make a film about the fate of Nun Vera and about the Convent and its ministry.
The initial shooting session took place in August. Alys and Marie-Cecile came to our Convent to learn more about it and to shoot some test footage. Their first trip resulted in a short clip about Nun Vera, which will be used as a teaser to raise funds for the feature film. The second shooting session was held in January 2019: the crew wanted to film the mass dipping into water at our rehabilitation centre grounds on Epiphany night. They also wanted to shoot the familiar places during the snowy winter.
The film is going to be black-and-white, in tune with Ex-Voto Project that inspired the two authors to make the film.
January 29, 2019
St. Elisabeth Convent
