PRESS KIT
Back to Bucha
Finding the Spirit in Ukraine.
Finding the Spirit in Ukraine.
"Thank you for this! You felt the Ukrainian soul very well!"
- Fr. Roman Nebozhuk, Kyiv
- Fr. Roman Nebozhuk, Kyiv
Poster - Hi Rez
"Our family just viewed Back to Bucha. We loved the documentary..."
- Tony Taylor, Huntsville
We are thankful that Steve Richards found the time to visit our campus and share his artful creation with us. The documentary was powerful and educational, from a perspective that only a boots on the ground approach can provide. I recommend this documentary to Ukrainians, American-Ukrainians, and Americans who wish to walk in the streets of Bucha, Kyiv, and Lviv and get an insightful discussion with the Ukrainians impacted by this war. I can recommend this film to all ages of audience, the context was not graphic, but rather an insight into personal, religious, family challenges.
- Tony Taylor, Huntsville
We are thankful that Steve Richards found the time to visit our campus and share his artful creation with us. The documentary was powerful and educational, from a perspective that only a boots on the ground approach can provide. I recommend this documentary to Ukrainians, American-Ukrainians, and Americans who wish to walk in the streets of Bucha, Kyiv, and Lviv and get an insightful discussion with the Ukrainians impacted by this war. I can recommend this film to all ages of audience, the context was not graphic, but rather an insight into personal, religious, family challenges.
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Trailer
Check out the trailer by clicking here! |
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"Thank you for sharing this brilliant documentary...Every bit of it is moving, authentic, heartfelt."
- Alex Kuzma, Chief Development Officer, UCU Foundation
Letting these Ukrainian people speak with their own voice, from the heart, without any artifice or embellishment. It's an amazing achievement, and it flows beautifully from one episode to another. What I loved especially was the matter-of-fact quality. You weren't going for any "shock value". So, you embrace your audience, draw them into the story, like going into those underground air raid shelters, rather than trying to oversell or blow the viewer away with the horror of what happened with anything sensational....Congratulations on this wonderful achievement!
- Alex Kuzma, Chief Development Officer, UCU Foundation
Letting these Ukrainian people speak with their own voice, from the heart, without any artifice or embellishment. It's an amazing achievement, and it flows beautifully from one episode to another. What I loved especially was the matter-of-fact quality. You weren't going for any "shock value". So, you embrace your audience, draw them into the story, like going into those underground air raid shelters, rather than trying to oversell or blow the viewer away with the horror of what happened with anything sensational....Congratulations on this wonderful achievement!
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Deck
A brief PowerPoint deck for those interested in learning more and being inspired by the Ukrainian moms, children, pastors, and young men we see in the film. To download the deck click here. |
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Stills
Congrats on a great documentary!
- George Welleck, Austin
- George Welleck, Austin
Synopsis
The Women, Kids, Young Men, and Pastors of Ukraine’s Spirit.
Back to Bucha opens with a poem. A poem written by Phyllis Wheatley in 1784, an African American who captures the essence of what Ukrainians are fighting for: In every human Breast, God has implanted a Principle, which we call Love of Freedom; it is impatient of Oppression, and pants for Deliverance.
Unlike the original Trek to Bucha shot in the early days of the full-scale invasion, Back to Bucha is filled with women and their children. Beginning in April 2022 in the film’s opening scenes in Bucha we meet Tonya at a destroyed coffee shop, sweeping up broken glass and trying to reopen the shop at least enough to serve free coffee to the workers and neighbors who were still there.
Flash forward 10 months and we meet Tonya plus Julia, the shop’s owner. At the newly rebuilt Jul’s Coffee and Peace we get an upbeat and hopeful interview about Julia’s return with her family and the Spirit that drives them to rebuild. They believe God is watching over them.
For more click here.
The Women, Kids, Young Men, and Pastors of Ukraine’s Spirit.
Back to Bucha opens with a poem. A poem written by Phyllis Wheatley in 1784, an African American who captures the essence of what Ukrainians are fighting for: In every human Breast, God has implanted a Principle, which we call Love of Freedom; it is impatient of Oppression, and pants for Deliverance.
Unlike the original Trek to Bucha shot in the early days of the full-scale invasion, Back to Bucha is filled with women and their children. Beginning in April 2022 in the film’s opening scenes in Bucha we meet Tonya at a destroyed coffee shop, sweeping up broken glass and trying to reopen the shop at least enough to serve free coffee to the workers and neighbors who were still there.
Flash forward 10 months and we meet Tonya plus Julia, the shop’s owner. At the newly rebuilt Jul’s Coffee and Peace we get an upbeat and hopeful interview about Julia’s return with her family and the Spirit that drives them to rebuild. They believe God is watching over them.
For more click here.
Thank you for bringing "Back to Bucha" to Huntsville!
- Yaryna Zhurba
The film gives a big desire to go to Ukraine to be part of what's going on there. Luckily, I'm going in two days. Otherwise, I'd feel very homesick. It provides a true feeling of Ukraine.
- Yaryna Zhurba
The film gives a big desire to go to Ukraine to be part of what's going on there. Luckily, I'm going in two days. Otherwise, I'd feel very homesick. It provides a true feeling of Ukraine.
Director's Statement
Like the USA Ukraine is a largely Christian nation (Ukrainian Orthodox mostly with a large segment of Ukrainian Greek Catholics), though all the major religions are represented (President Zelensky is Jewish, for instance). Unlike the USA there are relatively few Protestants, though I did find a Charismatic church forced online by the war, a Lutheran church with a lady pastor in Kyiv, even a Presbyterian minister from Dallas leading a Reformed congregation in Lviv!
What I was most struck by were the moms I encountered talking about God and how He is looking out for them. Women are the biggest difference between now and last Spring. They are back. Why? Because they want to raise their kids in their own homes in their own country. It is safe enough except for those on the front lines, notwithstanding the ongoing missile attacks. Children go to school; grocery stores are stocked; shops are open. You can see a movie, get your hair done, and go to restaurants. Rebuilding has begun – especially noticeable in Bucha.
For more click here.
Like the USA Ukraine is a largely Christian nation (Ukrainian Orthodox mostly with a large segment of Ukrainian Greek Catholics), though all the major religions are represented (President Zelensky is Jewish, for instance). Unlike the USA there are relatively few Protestants, though I did find a Charismatic church forced online by the war, a Lutheran church with a lady pastor in Kyiv, even a Presbyterian minister from Dallas leading a Reformed congregation in Lviv!
What I was most struck by were the moms I encountered talking about God and how He is looking out for them. Women are the biggest difference between now and last Spring. They are back. Why? Because they want to raise their kids in their own homes in their own country. It is safe enough except for those on the front lines, notwithstanding the ongoing missile attacks. Children go to school; grocery stores are stocked; shops are open. You can see a movie, get your hair done, and go to restaurants. Rebuilding has begun – especially noticeable in Bucha.
For more click here.
Back to Bucha is a profound meditation on the experience of loss and return, and the significance of place for human meaning and identity.
- Rev. David Collins, Miami, FL
At once impressionist and thematic, Richards weaves together interviews and personal testimonies to form a tapestry not just of human resilience, but perhaps even more of the greater Spirit that inspires the love of country and the love that binds together fellow citizens. It is in this Spirit that stories of the past, as well as hopes for the future, are carried with such graciousness. Absent is the sense of vengefulness, less still a countering sense of ethnic privilege or preeminence. Back to Bucha reveals a humble people, wanting to preserve and, by current necessity, restore a place in which to live, love and worship, according to the gifts of a deeply rich cultural and religious heritage. It is a study in how genuine faith turns the love of nation into simply and gracefully the love of home.
- Rev. David Collins, Miami, FL
At once impressionist and thematic, Richards weaves together interviews and personal testimonies to form a tapestry not just of human resilience, but perhaps even more of the greater Spirit that inspires the love of country and the love that binds together fellow citizens. It is in this Spirit that stories of the past, as well as hopes for the future, are carried with such graciousness. Absent is the sense of vengefulness, less still a countering sense of ethnic privilege or preeminence. Back to Bucha reveals a humble people, wanting to preserve and, by current necessity, restore a place in which to live, love and worship, according to the gifts of a deeply rich cultural and religious heritage. It is a study in how genuine faith turns the love of nation into simply and gracefully the love of home.
Steve’s film is critical for mainstream America to see so that US support of Ukraine doesn’t falter. - Alex Gamota, Boston
Our Partners
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Ukrainian Catholic University
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In every human Breast, God has implanted a Principle, which we call Love of Freedom; it is impatient of Oppression, and pants for Deliverance. - Phillis Wheatley - 1774