The year is 1357 and Eurasia lives in terror of the formidable Mongol state known as the Golden Horde, led by the greedy and murderous Khan Janibek. When Janibek’s mother Taidula suddenly loses her sight, Janibek sends for Alexei, Archbishop of Moscow, whose reputation is that of a great healer. When Alexei fails, Janibek casts him out. But complex forces within Alexei prevent him from leaving. Undergoing a crisis of faith and identity, he suffers deeply. He joins the slaves who stoke the huge furnaces under the Khan’s bathhouse. A miracle could save Alexei, but what will it take to stop Janibek?
The Asia Pacific Screen Academy expresses its respect for and acknowledgement of the South East Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We pay our respects to the Traditional Owners of country, including the custodial communities on whose land works are created and celebrated by the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. We acknowledge the continuing connection to land, waters and communities. We also pay our respects to Elders, past and emerging. We recognise the integral role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and First Nations peoples continue to play in storytelling and celebration spaces.
