Persons in the Film

Persons in the Film

OLD BELIEVERS: Persons in the Film

Antip Alagoz
The bridegroom, who comes from a family of Old Believers that immigrated to Oregon after living for two centuries in Turkey.

Evdokeya Alagoz
The mother of Antip the bridegroom. The celebrations after the wedding take place at her house. A widow, she has the help of numerous family members in celebrating the young couple.

Kiril Kutsev
A member of the Old Believer community in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, Kiril Kutsev is a farmer, a tree thinner, a fisherman, and most important, a cantor in the religious services. He brought his family from Brazil to Oregon.

Stepan Kutsev
One of the sons of Kiril Kutsev. In the film he is the voice of the younger generation of Old Believers.

Fevrusa Kuznetzov
The bride, whose parents lived in Canada though she and Antip live in Oregon. At the time of the film she was employed as a seamstress by a sportswear factory.

Maria Mametieva
A member of the community whose singing of traditional songs is heard in the film.

Ms. Martishev
A relative and friend who helps sew garments needed to supply the bride and groom for their new lives together (when money will be scarce).

Feodora Seledkova
A member of the Old Believer community in Oregon who was born in Russia and recalls the life there. After the Revolution, her parents fled with her first to China, then to Brazil, and eventually to the United States. She is one of those who remember traditional crafts, and the film shows her skill as a weaver.

Mr. and Mrs. Zharkov
The bride Fevrusa Kuznetzovaís god-parents, at whose home the devichnik party is held.

Anastasia
The bride's close friend or podruga who helps her in the preparations for the wedding and the and celebrations that follow it.

Anna, Rose, and Zina
Family members and friends who assist in sewing the clothing needed for the devichnik.

Numerous other community members appear in the film, and many additional ones helped make the film possible.

A note on names: At the time the film was made Fevrusa Kuznetsov and other young women in the community no longer used the inflected form of their Russian family names, although older women like Feodora Seledkova continued to do so.