An epic journey from the steppes of Uzbekistan to the American Midwest. Failed prophecies and deadly adventures left a thorny legacy for descendants of the 19th century Mennonite trek to Central Asia. But new revelations heal the wounds of the past. The writer of this documentary follows a modern pilgrimage from Kansas to the Silk Road kingdom of Khiva. The journey reveals lost chronicles of Muslim-Christian friendship and bravery in the face of Soviet
oppression. This film features vintage motion pictures never seen outside the Soviet Union and offers dramatic stories of survival that have remained locked away for more than a century. An Agile Arts production/Mennonite Historical Committee Presentation.
Remembering Russia 1928-1938 – Collectivization and Mass Arrest: (2007) (52 min.)
“This film documents the spiritual battles and sufferings of Mennonites in Soviet Russia from the introduction of the first Five-Year Plan in October 1928 to the end of the Great Terror in 1938. Soviet plans for the complete collectivization of agriculture, the elimination of so-called ‘kulaks’ and the closing of all churches struck a hard blow to the traditional Mennonite way of life.” The film covers information such as the Mennonites that left the Soviet Union, as well as those who remained and suffered in Northern Russia, Siberia, and Kolyma. Other details include life in the collective farms, round ups of the secret police with results of exile to camps or death. The story is told by Otto Klassen derived from personal experience, and includes photographs and film footage from the times in discussion. The film belongs to a series of five that explains history from 1789-1945.