Orthodox Chic | Short Film

In August 2020, Osnovy Publishing will present their new publication, Orthodox Chic, a book about postmodern religious architecture in Ukraine. The authors of the book, architects Alex Bykov and Oleksandr Burlaka, alongside artist Sasha Kurmaz, turn to photographing post-Soviet religious architecture as a way of capturing its social, political and economic development. The book portrays new forms of religious architecture, from kiosks, shacks, pop-up chapels attached to giant shopping malls, apartment blocks and magnificent new cathedrals.

Minimal Movie, a Kyiv-based production company and creative agency, were inspired by this topic and made a short film in support of the upcoming book.

This short shows the frenzy of building religious architecture that occurred in independent Ukraine. This is encapsulated in one particular story: as a backdrop, whenever a temporary, ‘mini chapel’ has been installed on a particular site a large church is supposed to finally replace it. Father Petro (Peter) has been filing for planning permission and collecting money for the construction of the Church of St Peter and Paul for more than twenty years. Even if he doesn’t succeed in his lifetime, his son Pavlo (Paul), also a priest, will take over the work. This particular snapshot is just one of dozens of similar stories happening right now in Ukraine.

Postmodern religious architecture in Ukraine can manifest itself in many, often surprising, ways: makeshift shacks near subway stations, a large neoclassical revival cathedral, or a chapel plonked on the top of a tower-block. The unique look of Ukrainian new religious architecture and the way it gets used is due to the way it has developed in complicated and ambiguous economic, social, and political conditions.

For Roman Blazhan, the film’s director, and Mikhail Volkov, director of photography, the aim was to take a look at these often-unexamined forms of religious architecture, examples of which range from churches the size of kiosks and shacks, to pop-up chapels attached to giant shopping malls and apartment blocks, alongside magnificent new cathedrals. The music for the film was composed by Anton Dehtiarov.