After Man of God (2021) Yelena Popovic returns with the world premiere of Moses the Black (2026).[1] Executively produced by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson – G-Unit Films and Television, Simeon Entertainment and The Nick Mirkopoulos Cinematic Fund, the film features a brilliant ensemble cast led by Omar Epps, Wiz Khalifa, Quavo and Chukwudi Iwuji as well as original songs by Wiz Khalifa. Yelena Popovic does not stop to surprise the audience and remains faithful to her authorial approach and multi-layered storytelling. While her films can be misunderstood or interpreted as ‘religious drama’ Popovic takes the risks remaining what she is: an independent film artist with her own voice. Moses the Black was released nationwide (USA) on 30 January 2026, attracting significant attention even before its premiere. Popovic centralises the real-life people and events and their inner struggles within the society in which they live. Her engagement with the African American or Black community is genuine and deep which transcends through the screen: not only does she subvert clichés but engages with real people and their stories from within.
Moses the Black represents a novelty in every sense. In the cinematic world nothing similar has been seen yet. Confused critics cannot work out the genre (for instance, to agree whether it is a gangster drama or a religious drama) but neither could they do it with great filmmakers including Tarkovsky. Yelena Popovic’s film is multi-layered in the manner of the greatest doyens of cinema. Popovic redefines film genre itself, expanding the boundaries of cinematic art and film language. A unique audio-visual landscape built by music and sound is completed by cinematography and dramaturgy and thus the language of film remains Popovic’s major strength. Popovic’s innovative approach challenges established genre conventions to create new aesthetic, cinematic and emotional experiences. She manages to avoid the traps and conventions of ‘religious film’ and even ‘transcendental style’ by diving deeply into ascetic meanings, building on a trajectory begun in Man of God.[2] Broadly speaking if we do think in terms of the religious – if Man of God was about forgiveness, then Moses the Black is about redemption and change of heart. Both films, despite their differences represent a fine thread that bears liturgical connotation and experience, providing hope in defending the lost causes. Moses the Black disrupts conventional historical narratives by reminding audiences that Christianity is not “white colonial privilege,” but that it took shape in the African deserts, where its earliest spiritual – monastic foundations were formed.
In engaging with black communities in the heart of the city yet on the margins of society, Popovic brings them out in an honest and authentic way, avoiding ‘imaginary othering’: however the film does not blame the circumstances, it does not call for justice, it does not isolate – it opens to the world that which the world does not want to see. At the end it is the audience who will give the final word: linking seventeen centuries between St. Moses the Black[4] and Malik in present-day Chicago, the film’s understanding of the human condition is so profound and yet so specific that Moses the Black will resonate with ‘the good, the bad and the ugly’ alike. For scholars of film and religion it will certainly remain one of the most significant films of our time.
Title Image: Photo credit: Eirini Pajak / Moses the Black. With Curtesy of Simeon Entertainment.
[1] https://www.fathomentertainment.com/releases/moses-the-black/
[2] Milja Radovic: “Liturgy on the Reel: Ascesis through Film” in Journal of Religion, Film and Media, Vol. 8, No. 1, 2022, pp. 129-157.
[3] Photo credit: Eirini Pajak / Moses the Black. With Curtesy of Simeon Entertainment.
[4] https://www.whoismosestheblack.com/home
RaT-Blog Nr. 1/2026