Your film is entered in our LA Film & Documentary Award. What is your film about?
Neo-noir dystopian short film. In the alternative reality, the power is held by scientific societies known as Academies, which mandate that every individual must complete an additional year of schooling. Liana decides to leave school and encounters two individuals facing the same predicament. Together, they grapple with the decision of how to navigate their lives moving forward.
 
What are your ambitions with your project?
To create exciting art pieces and distribute them to people. In my opinion, the aim of art is the process and enjoying the result.
 
How was the shooting? What pleasantly surprised you?
It was a pleasant journey, but with many challenges, which I want to share with you:
Issue #1: We were working with a super small team.
Fix: Everyone basically took on 5-7 different roles on set!
Issue #2: Unfortunately, one of our lead actresses had to step away from the film just three days before we were set to start shooting.
Fix: Luckily, I found a replacement who totally rocked the role. She even learned the whole screenplay in record time!
Issue #3: Our location host kicked us out on day one!
Fix: No time to reschedule, so we brought the whole operation to my place. We all packed up and moved to a new spot about 40 minutes away (with all our gear, props, and grub). Plus, we had to tweak the script on the fly.
Issue #4: Thanks to all that chaos, we only managed to shoot 1.5 scenes on day one.
Fix: But on day two, we kicked it into high gear and knocked out 7.5 scenes like champs.
Issue #5: Day three was a scorcher and I ended up with a nasty heatstroke.
Fix: Big shoutout to the team for having my back and helping me bounce back!
 
Also, my special thanks to the entire crew and cast. The DoP Tom Kacher did his best working on the hot weather and without a focus puller.
 
For what target group is your film?
This movie is for everyone.
 
How would you specify your work? What characterizes your film?
Reality blends with magic, and rationality collaborates with absurdity. It was important for me to include the author's monologue, which offers some explanations.
 
Why did you decide to become a filmmaker?
I love movies and love art. I dreamed of becoming a film director since I was 13, but only at 26 did I finally decide to do it. The movies seem to be the best art tool to express different types of feelings.

Who is your greatest role model?
I love many artists, but I do it my way. My favorite directors are Lars von Trier, David Lynch, and Quentin Tarantino.

Which movies are your favorites? Why?
Twin Peaks by David Lynch – for everything.
Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarantino – for its weirdness and becoming a classic.
Django Unchained by Quentin Tarantino – for the emotions and ideas.
Creep by Marc Duplass – for the craziness.
Barbie by Greta Gerwig – for the outstanding production and sound design.
Once Upon a Time in America by Sergio Leone – for being the best of the classics.
 
Where do you look for inspiration for your films?
- In arts: films, music, and literature.
- In history
- In life: even little events in the life could become a trigger to the great ideas
 
How would you rate current filmmaking?
Time and space don't exist in filmmaking. I love both old films and new works of art. Sure, there are more technical tools to express ideas today, but it's not that significant.
 
What are your next projects?
I'm currently working on three projects:
*A stop-motion surrealistic movie (we're in principal photography) in collaboration with Nadeera Abeywansha.
*A short drama about a spaceship adventure (in pre-production, the screenplay is written, and we're working on fundraising) in collaboration with Orly Rives and Fyodor Dudarev.
*A feature pseudohistoric erotic thriller (in the screenwriting phase) in collaboration with Maksym Habriielian.