Yelena Popovic: ‘We All Need Stories of Repentance’

JAN. 3, 2025 — In an interview with the Union of Orthodox Journalists of America released on Saturday, Orthodox filmmaker Yelena Popovic spoke about her latest project “Moses the Black,” which is scheduled to be released in theaters on January 30, 2026.

The follow-up to her well-received 2021 film “Man of God,” which depicted the life of St. Nektarios of Aegina, “Moses the Black” is set in modern day, with stars such as Omar Epps, Wiz Khalifa, Quavo, and producer Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson being involved in the project.

The plot follows a Chicago gangster – portrayed by Epps – who is inspired by St. Moses the Black's ancient story of repentance. The saint is depicted by Chukwudi Iwuji, who is known for his roles in “John Wick: Chapter 2” and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.”

“I decided to tell his story – the story of a present-day gangster – go through his life, he meets St. Moses along the way, he encounters and realizes he was a real person, and through his eyes, he can never be the same after that,” Popovic said. “He sees a lot of parallels between him and St. Moses and he repents… It shows that redemption is actually possible nowadays, and it also introduces us to this beautiful saint from the fourth century.”

From that point on, Popovic said, she will let St. Moses do the work “that he is already doing,” as she has heard many stories of his appearing to those who are in prisons and living destructive lifestyles.

“I needed to bring him to people that he can really help,” Popovic said.

Meeting with an ex-gang leader in Chicago while working on the script, Popovic talked to him about St. Moses the Black and told him the story she wanted to tell.

“It’s respectful to ask people, ‘What do you think about this story, and would it help your community?’ Ultimately, I believe that this story will help a lot of people in inner cities where there is a lot of violence and crime,” Popovic said.

Members of the community who are Christian, but not Orthodox, were happy to see the icon of St. Moses and to help with the making of the film.

“I did my best to do justice to St. Moses the Black,” Popovic said, addressing those who have questions about the modern-day setting. “Telling the story in the fourth century, I didn’t feel it was going to do justice to him. It was going to be one of those well-meaning films that was going to fall flat, and I did not want to do that.”

Rather than making a film that came across like something from the History Channel or Hallmark, Popovic aimed to make something “real.” Fr. Turbo Qualls, who plays a priest in the film, read the script and endorsed it.

“I want to do it because it’s real, otherwise no one is going to care,” Popovic recalled Fr. Turbo telling her over the phone.

Popovic will continue to focus on promoting the film until its release at the end of this month.

"We all need stories of repentance, and I think St. Moses is a great saint," she said. "I think he's very present and alive. May he bless this project."

Tickets to “Moses the Black” can be purchased here. The full interview on UOJ-USA’s YouTube channel can be viewed here.

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