An award-winning historical thriller set against the frostbitten backdrop of the USSR in 1982, Saint Vassily, follows a devout student preparing for Orthodox priesthood, when his moral certainty is tested by a KGB agent who threatens to revoke his ordination unless he denounces his roommate. What unfolds is a tense psychological confrontation that exposes how faith, loyalty, and integrity are tested under totalitarian power.

While rooted in history, Saint Vassily feels strikingly contemporary. Made in the shadow of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the film uses the historical thriller form to interrogate moral compromise, obedience, and personal responsibility, asking how ordinary people become complicit long before they recognise the cost.

The film is directed by Egieva and executive produced by Crystal Bear-winning and BAFTA-nominated producer Byron McNally, with cinematography by Arnaud Potier, whose current work includes Dead Man’s Wire directed by Gus Van Sant. Led by a female director working within a traditionally male-dominated historical and genre space, and featuring an all-male cast, the film brings a stark, atmospheric visual language to a story often told through overt political drama.

Saint Vassily premiered at the Oscar-qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival in 2024, Saint Vassily won Best Crime Film at Beeston Film Festival and has screened internationally, and is now available on Disney+.