PRESS KIT
Beyond Bucha
Finding the Spirit in Ukraine, From the Churches to the Front
Finding the Spirit in Ukraine, From the Churches to the Front
Poster - Hi Rez
Beyond Bucha is a journey through the evangelical heart of Ukraine—part documentary, part travelogue, and wholly focused on faith under fire. Filmed in fall 2024 across cities like Kyiv, Bucha, Kharkiv, and Odesa, this third installment revisits familiar ground while exploring front-line regions where worship continues despite constant threat. In free Ukraine, churches gather openly; under Russian occupation, evangelical worship is banned, churches are shuttered or seized, and pastors are imprisoned. Beyond Bucha exposes the existential threat Ukrainian evangelicals face and counters false claims—such as Tucker Carlson’s assertion that Ukraine persecutes Christians. The film calls on U.S. believers, including members of Congress, to stand with Ukrainian Christians whose churches, ministries, and very lives are under siege.
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Trailer
Check out the trailer by clicking here! |
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Stills
Director's Statement
The biggest reason I went to Ukraine to shoot this film was to dispel the misconception that Christians are being persecuted there. Hopefully, the film achieves that, as this idea is simply not true. Some Russian Orthodox priests have been arrested, but these individuals have acted as mouthpieces for and supporters of Russia. Increasingly, only patriots are welcome members of Ukraine’s clergy. Yet even now, the Russian Church carries on as Ukrainian Orthodox followers find it difficult to move out of their comfort zones.
My evangelical roots, having grown up in the Nazarene Church, give me a deep connection with evangelicals, even as I now lean more toward mainline Christianity as an Episcopalian. Though my faith journey has evolved, I have never strayed far from my roots and frequently visit Pentecostal, Baptist, and non-denominational churches across the U.S. The majority of my mailing list and followers come from these evangelical communities.
While Beyond Bucha certainly focuses on documenting the diversity of evangelical churches in Ukraine, it also captures the backdrop of the cities where I filmed: Kyiv, Bucha, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, and Vinnytsia during the 2023-2024 holiday season and again in the fall of 2024. If viewers are interested in the realities of life in cities near the front lines, they will certainly find that—especially as they hear mostly English-speaking interviewees discuss their experiences, the histories of their churches, and the challenges they face, including the shortage of men and the profound impact of PTSD on nearly everyone. Their experiences in the war and the effects on their congregations are central to the stories.
For more click here.
The biggest reason I went to Ukraine to shoot this film was to dispel the misconception that Christians are being persecuted there. Hopefully, the film achieves that, as this idea is simply not true. Some Russian Orthodox priests have been arrested, but these individuals have acted as mouthpieces for and supporters of Russia. Increasingly, only patriots are welcome members of Ukraine’s clergy. Yet even now, the Russian Church carries on as Ukrainian Orthodox followers find it difficult to move out of their comfort zones.
My evangelical roots, having grown up in the Nazarene Church, give me a deep connection with evangelicals, even as I now lean more toward mainline Christianity as an Episcopalian. Though my faith journey has evolved, I have never strayed far from my roots and frequently visit Pentecostal, Baptist, and non-denominational churches across the U.S. The majority of my mailing list and followers come from these evangelical communities.
While Beyond Bucha certainly focuses on documenting the diversity of evangelical churches in Ukraine, it also captures the backdrop of the cities where I filmed: Kyiv, Bucha, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, and Vinnytsia during the 2023-2024 holiday season and again in the fall of 2024. If viewers are interested in the realities of life in cities near the front lines, they will certainly find that—especially as they hear mostly English-speaking interviewees discuss their experiences, the histories of their churches, and the challenges they face, including the shortage of men and the profound impact of PTSD on nearly everyone. Their experiences in the war and the effects on their congregations are central to the stories.
For more click here.
Steve’s film is critical for mainstream America to see so that US support of Ukraine doesn’t falter. - Alex Gamota, Bear Witness
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