2026 | Documentary | 33 min. | Russia | 12+
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.
Directors Statement
I was born Jewish in Ukraine and now work in Russia and other countries. Although I am not religious, I grew up immersed in Orthodox culture and Russian and Ukrainian literature. The ringing of bells is an integral part of Russian culture, with churches and bell towers standing in every city and village. Ringing styles vary from place to place — there are even 'electronic bell-ringers', which are a great help where there is a shortage of human bell-ringers. Whenever I hear bells ringing, though, I stop and stand still — and I am not the only one. Through this project, we met some remarkable people. These included the Kremlin’s head bell ringer, the founder of the largest bell foundry in Voronezh and bell ringers with diverse life stories. The project spanned a year and involved twelve cinematographers and four editors. We travelled across six regions and attended bell-ringing festivals. There are very few professionals in the non-fiction film sector in Russia today — they can literally be counted on one hand — and all of them have demanding schedules at their primary jobs. Nevertheless, 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 onto the screen. We hope it touches your souls and hearts.
Director: Kira Magid
Producers: Kira Magid and Sergey Turkin
Сast: Dina Korzun and Andrey Merzlikin
Studio: The Social Investment Agency
