2026 | Documentary | 90 min. | Russia
Unlike Western churches, Russian churches do not have organs played for the congregation. Instead, their bell towers house bells that ring out across the surrounding area. These complex musical instruments consist of bells that vary in weight and pitch, with some weighing as much as ten tons and numbering up to twenty. One of these bells is known as the blagovest (annunciation bell). You will see how our bell ringers handle these instruments. Our subjects are a diverse group. Nun Nektaria serves at a unique monastery near Voronezh that is carved directly into sandy chalk deposits. She rarely rings the monastery’s bells as the vibrations could damage the walls of the building. Eduard, a bell ringer who runs a school for the craft in Tver, came to this vocation from a background as a rock musician, and a pilgrimage to Mount Athos once changed the course of his life. Yevgeny, a biker from Suzdal who rings bells, explains what distinguishes the 'Suzdal horn' style from other bell-ringing traditions, and why one must 'come to an agreement' with the bells each time they are played. Aurelia, another bell ringer, came to Russia from Belgium, where she developed a passion for Russian culture and converted to Orthodoxy. She now works for Russian television and rings the bells at one of Moscow’s major monasteries. The film explores Russia’s unique bell-ringing culture, covering the history of the bells and how they are made. The film also features Nikolai Burlyaev, who played the young bell-maker in Andrei Tarkovsky's Andrei Rublev, along with actors Dina Korzun and Andrei Merzlikin, musician Alexei Romanov, Igor Konovalov (head bell ringer at the Moscow Kremlin cathedrals and the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour) and Valery Anisimov, founder of a major bell casting foundry.
Directors Statement
The ringing of bells is an integral part of Russian culture, with churches and bell towers found in every city and village. Bell-ringing styles vary from place to place, and electronic bell-ringers are a useful aid where there is a shortage of human ringers. Yet whenever I hear the sound of bells, I stop in my tracks — and I am not the only one. Our project spanned over a year and involved twelve camera operators and four editors. We travelled across six regions and attended bell-ringing festivals. There are very few professionals in the field of non-fiction filmmaking in Russia today — you could literally count them on one hand — and they all have busy schedules in their day jobs. Yet they made time for us and worked with true inspiration — a project like this requires nothing less. We poured our collective energy and positive spirit into the film. We hope it touches your souls and hearts.
