Meet Dmitriy Usov | Director, Screenwriter & Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dmitriy Usov and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dmitriy, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I grew up in an artistic family, where creativity has always been rewarded. I remember when my older sister, who has had a successful singing career back in Russia spanning almost two decades, released her first music video. I was around 5 years old back then, she was 16. With my childlike gaze, I watched my sister on a big TV screen in our living room, and I was completely captivated by the way the image and music were intertwined with each other. I saw my sister next to me, and then I saw her on-screen and realized that this is absolute magic. This has kickstarted her career as a pop singer and has sparked my lifelong inspiration and desire to be a part of the entertainment industry. I realized that being a storyteller through film was the closest there is to being a magician. Growing up on a small island on a small island with no film industry made me realize that I needed to move to a larger place where I could grow and collaborate with like-minded individuals. Los Angeles seemed like the perfect match, and I started my journey two years ago by enrolling in the undergraduate program at Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film & Television. Since then, I have been surrounded by film professors who became my mentors, friends who became my family, and individuals on film sets who offered me new opportunities and gigs. Although I have achieved some of my goals, I know that there is still a long way to go to reach the level I aspire to. Nonetheless, my passion for storytelling continues to fuel my drive, and I am eager to see where this journey takes me next.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have always been attracted to telling stories that share universal themes, tap into all-encompassing fears, and evoke some sense of absoluteness. Partially living in four different countries and being an immigrant in the U.S. has encouraged me to build connections through storytelling. That’s the philosophy that I follow when I start working on a new film, script, or music video. For example, in my latest short film “The Eclipse”, which follows a widowed man’s descent into the spirit world to see his loved one again, I wanted to explore a universal experience of grieving. At some point, each and every one of us will wish that there could be one more minute that we could spend with our loved ones. Stories that convey universal experiences such as grief, love, growing up, heartbreak, death, family, and a quest for identity, are relatable for a wide variety of audiences.

The biggest challenge that I have been faced with in filmmaking, is constant self-doubt and comparison with others, which sometimes becomes toxic and somewhat paralyzing. I look at the successes of my peers and feel truly happy for them, but somewhere deep inside there is an inner self-critic that goes: “You should have worked harder, what you are doing is not enough!” At moments like that, I remind myself that at the end of the day, everyone is only racing with themselves and has their own timing. I try to stay present and get connected to my values. I always ask myself whether a 7-year-old me would be proud of where I am at and with work that I am doing; when the answer is positive I know that I am on the right path and everything is going to be great. Media always stresses out that success is simply hard work that yields effective results: I disagree. Success is being content with what you are bringing to this world, but also an ability to be fulfilled mentally, spiritually, and physically.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Whenever I have friends coming to visit me in Los Angeles, I always think about showing them as much as possible of my three favorite aspects of the city: food, movies, and beaches. I am going to dwell into three of them individually.

Food:
When it comes to breakfast/brunch I always take my visiting friends to Courage Bagels. Their bagel creations have always kept me wanting to come back. My other favorite brunch place is Gjelina in Abbot Kinney. Going there is a great opportunity to show Abbot Kinney, one of the most picturesque places in Los Angeles, get lemon-ricotta pancakes at Gjelina, and then on the way out grab a coffee at Intelligentsia or Blue Bottle. For lunch or dinner there are so many hidden gems in LA that it is hard to choose: for the lovers of pasta is definitely UOVO or Pasta Sisters. There are tons of food options in Sawtelle for lovers of Asian food, with some of my favorite ones being: Mogumogu, Marugame Udon, and Menya Tigre. For Mexican food Tacos tu Madre, El Tarasco, and Casa Sanchez.

Movies:
While almost any AMC or Cinemark theatres in LA are good for watching films, I think it is the eclectic and more lowkey theatres that are worth checking out. For the lovers of 35mm film, I couldn’t recommend more Quentin Tarantino-owned New Beverly Cinema. I would also look at the calendar of the American Cinematheque since they often do special screenings and bring filmmakers for the Q&A. I would also take them to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. For me, it has been a true discovery, a mecca for lovers of cinema and their film series (i.e. Oscar Sundays) are just great.

Beaches:
I grew up on an island, and spending time at the beach is always a soul-nourishing activity for me. One of my favorite places is El Porto Beach; watching the sunset there and strolling through the Manhattan Beach promenade is something I always do with my friends from back home who come to visit. Likewise just driving up alongside the PCH and going to pretty much any beach up north in the Malibu area is fantastic.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to talk about my experience at LMU School of Film and TV. The education I received there was absolutely invaluable in helping me become the storyteller and filmmaker that I am today. The faculty and resources provided by the school were truly top-notch, and I learned so much from my time there. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to have studied at LMU, and I know that my experience there will continue to inform my work for years to come.

Of course, none of this would have been possible without the support of my family, and especially my mother. Moving to Los Angeles to pursue my dreams was a big decision, and I couldn’t have done it without her encouragement and support. I feel incredibly lucky to have such wonderful people in my life, and I’m grateful every day for all the ways they’ve helped me along the way.

Instagram: https://instagram.com/dimauz?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dmitriyusv/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg5BAHd2qaOgx4MP5l-KYAg

Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm11434626/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_0_nm_8_q_dmitriy%2520usov

Image Credits
Image 1 (black and white Dmitriy on set of “The Eclipse”) – Photo credit: Will Bonnell Image 2 (Still from “The Eclipse”) – Cinematography credit: Tom Bolles Image 3 (BTS photo on the beach from the film set of “City of Sand) – Photo Credit: Finn Sanders Image 4 (Still from “Project Romeo”) – Cinematography credit: Simon Moore Image 5 (Film festival photo) – Photo Credit: LAGFF Image 6 (BTS picture with Taylor Garcia from the film set of “Penny’s Gallery”) – Photo Credit: Connor Ewart Image 7 (Black and white BTS from the set of “The Eclipse”) – Photo Credit: Myles Dement