A scene from Becoming a Priest, with Fr. Peter Runyon.
The 2021 edition of University of St. Katherine's Byzanfest features a short film by St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS). The Seminary's entry, Becoming a Priest, is nominated for Best Documentary (Short-Film) and Best Female Director.
Becoming a Priest was shot and directed in 2021 by Sarah Werner, SVOTS' chief marketing officer, and edited by Caleb Rexford. It features Alumnus Priest Peter Runyon, who was completing his degree at St. Vladimir's at the time, offering a powerful reflection on his journey to Orthodox Christianity and the priesthood.
"This film was created to help inspire those who are discerning their call to service in the Church, whether through priesthood or lay leadership," said Werner. "We hope Fr. Peter's words touch everyone's hearts as they did ours while we were filming it.
"Thank you, Byzanfest, for including Becoming a Priest in this year's film festival! We are so honored to be a part of it."
From October 30 to November 8, Byzanfest will stream Becoming a Priest and other short and feature-length films inspired and produced by Eastern Orthodox Christians around the world on YouTube. You can also access the stream through the Byzanfest website.
Established in 2014, Byzanfest is an international film festival dedicated exclusively to Orthodox Christian cinema. Byzanfest organizers aim to stream and screen the very best Orthodox stories each year with the world.
