Anatolii Maksimov

I was born in 1995 in Krasnodar, a sunny city near the Black Sea in Russia. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been drawn to the arts — especially music and film. I spent seven years in music school studying singing and guitar, all while enjoying math just as much.
When it came time to choose a university, I didn’t even consider film school — it felt too out of reach. So I went with something I already felt confident in: math. I enrolled at Saint Petersburg State University. While studying, I spent most of my time organizing cultural and entertainment events with fellow students. It wasn’t until right before graduation that I really buckled down to find my first job, which I landed in 2018.

Fast forward a few years — after working as an analyst for over five years and relocating to Armenia following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — I met Angelina, the founder of Movie Laboratory in Yerevan. She explained how it’s totally possible to make your own film in just three months. That conversation changed everything. I finally went for it — and made my first movie.

The moment I realized I was actually a film director was incredibly emotional. It felt like something that had been quietly building inside me for years had finally found its way out.