God's Soldiers (2023)

Facing each other are two highly trained forces. The knights of the Order of St. John, a small but formidable Christian military Order and the Muslim Janissaries, the fearsome crack troops of the Sultan. The historic events are told through the eyes of two fictional but historically accurate characters: Alexius is a 14-year-old who finds himself pressganged into the Sultan's army in Greece. He is converted to Islam, changes his name to Hasan, before being trained in Constantinople as an elite Janissary soldier. Hasan's soon to be arch-rival Raymonde is a 15-year-old French noble, sent to the Order of St. John in Malta by his ambitious parents to become a wealthy knight and seafarer. They will both meet in battle, trained to fight in the name of God, and Allah. The 2-hours drama-led documentary is supported by historic re-enactment on original locations, and a full-size replica galleon. Spectacular CGI and gripping drama make up 70% of the film. Eps 1 looks at the build-up of the Great Siege of Malta in 1565. Eps 2 focuses on the dramatic battle for Fort St. Elmo.