An Appeal to Heaven

For nearly a century, Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, New York, has stood as one of the spiritual and cultural centers of Orthodox Christianity in America. Today, the monastery and the rural communities surrounding it face a very different kind of challenge: a massive industrial wind project proposed for the hills of upstate New York.

An Appeal to Heaven examines the struggle over Jordanville’s future—where sacred ground, rural communities, environmental concerns, government energy policy, and international capital collide. This investigative documentary explores the potential impact of the project on Holy Trinity Monastery, local wildlife and landscapes, and the people who have made this corner of New York their home.
At the center of the story is a larger question: who should determine the future of a place—the people and institutions rooted there for generations, or distant interests seeking to transform it in the name of "progress?"
This is the story of a monastery, a community, and their appeal to preserve what cannot be replaced.