Beyond Bucha – Director’s Statement

By Steve Richards

The biggest reason I came here to shoot this film was to dispel the misconception that Christians are being persecuted in Ukraine.

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.

Irpin Bible Church

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.

The newly opened Jul's Coffee and Cocktails in Bucha

When one realizes that these evangelicals are literally fighting for their lives, their parishioners’ lives, and the survival of their churches—all of which are under existential threat from Russia—the footage and interviews with pastors will feel remarkably familiar to Christians in the U.S. Yet, their situation is vastly different. These churches and pastors are on Russian kill lists, just as the hundreds of churches, pastors, and believers in occupied territories of Ukraine have been targeted—where churches are shuttered, services have gone underground under threat from Russian invaders, and pastors have been killed. This reality must remain front and center while watching the film. In the U.S., we take our religious freedoms for granted. In Ukraine, they fight for theirs. They see themselves in a very real religious war, and they remember what life was like under Soviet domination—many would rather die than go back.

Pastor Anton Kalyuzhny of the New Life Church in Kyiv

I am deeply indebted to the pastors and those who helped me find these extraordinary churches, secure access, and conduct interviews. Evangelicals and Protestants are a small minority in Ukraine, yet it is not uncommon to find third- and fourth-generation pastors. Baptists are well represented, as are Pentecostals, Charismatics, and non-denominational Christians. Mainline denominations are similarly hard to find, with representation from Lutherans, the Reformed tradition, and even Presbyterians. Anglicans are extremely rare in this country, where the evolving Orthodox Church dominates. Greek Catholics are common, and Roman Catholic churches can also be found.

As I reflect on what Beyond Bucha is about—or perhaps more importantly, why I made it—at the very least, we are chronicling events in Ukraine over several years, and we will continue to do so. Ideally, I can provide an effective platform to foster empathy among evangelicals in the United States for their brothers and sisters throughout Ukraine. By increasing their understanding, I hope they will begin to support Ukraine just a little more and dispel the misinformation that taints their perceptions of people they should whole-heartedly embrace. All while crafting a film that entertains and connects with secular audiences worldwide.

Richards interviewing a priest at the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa. Photo by Viktoriia Pinchuk