Whether I’m in front of the camera or behind it, I’m always drawn to honest, emotionally grounded storytelling.
JOURNEY
My journey started in music. I spent my teenage years and early twenties as a recording artist in Russia. That experience taught me how to connect with an audience and tell a story through performance. Eventually, my love for cinema took over.
I received classical acting training at VGIK in Moscow and later earned my BFA in Acting for Film and MFA in Filmmaking from the New York Film Academy. These two different schools of thought continue to shape the way I work today.
As the founder of Anakofilm, I’ve spent the last decade directing and producing music videos, commercials, and narrative films — and acting in commercials and narrative work.
My award-winning short film Late Again Ana, which I wrote, directed, produced, and starred in, showed me how powerful it is to tell stories from both sides of the camera. For me, filmmaking isn’t just about making movies — it’s about creating work that feels real, meaningful, and human.
