Filmmaker Gleb Osatinski has been busy since his film OUTSIDERS made the cut for the 2021 T-Port Lighthouse Selections. In this catch up interview, we chat to the Ukrainian-born filmmaker about his current awards run after a lengthy pre production phase, which was held up for 5 years.
There are details below about upcoming screenings of his newest short below, for any readers who are thereabouts.
And for professional subscribers, you can watch RESENTMENT and OUTSIDERS on T-Port today.
Hi Gleb! Since your film was part of the T-Port Lighthouse Selections, what have you been up to?
I started developing my next project, RESENTMENT ( OBRAZA ). This story was primarily based on my experiences growing up in Soviet Ukraine and things that took place with my family. It was on hold for a long time, but after more than 5 years of looking at the story, I realised that I felt compelled to tell it and connect with it. If you watch the film, you will understand why.
The film goes into experiences of antisemitism that I grew up with, and this is something I tried to forget while living in America. But somehow, the memories of the past hurt me, and I decided to take the journey and re-experience everything I felt as a boy by making a film about it. It helped me a lot, and I hope the story can help others after watching it.
Did your film being part of the selections help you to distribute it further? If so how?
Yes. I was very fortunate that the film Outsiders was in the Selections and distributed by The Short of The Week. I always admired that platform because it has a vast audience and features terrific filmmakers. I felt compelled to work more on my next project and felt support. I also didn’t want the project to lose steam, and I felt the momentum. And even though times were callous for Obraza ( Resentment ) production with the War in Ukraine, I put pre-production on hold for two more years; I still reminded myself that I need to keep going no matter what it takes, and Lighthouse Selection definitely helped me. It’s like I was a ship in the open ocean, and I saw the shore and knew I wasn’t lost.
Do you think being part of the T-Port Lighthouse Selections has helped your career going forward?
Yes, I felt supported by the thought that there is a platform waiting for my next project, and I need to deliver.
Would you recommend that filmmakers submit their film for the Lighthouse Selections? If so, why?
Yes, for obvious reasons. I learned about Lighthouse Selections from the filmmakers I respect. That’s how I found it—their work was featured there. Then, I did the research and realised that this platform connects Filmmakers and festivals, and this is where they find you.
It also has a fantastic blog full of advice. Being a filmmaker may feel overwhelming sometimes. There is no sense of what is right or what is wrong. It is often we are on our own. But I feel like this is also a misconception, mainly because we have our feelings but don’t know who needs to listen to them. We constantly look for the audience to receive our internal validation. So, getting selected for me felt like my feelings were validated internally.
Could you share some information about your recent Academy nod? How does it feel to reach this prestigious of a point?
Obraza ( Resentment ) just won Best Narrative Short at the Oscar-qualifying Woodstock Film Festival, which was a fantastic event for the film. This made our film in consideration run for awards season. I haven’t been in this position before, but it is a new step and validation for our film and for me as a director.
Currently, the film is available for screening at the Academy Screening Room, and we are touring with the campaign.
Tell Us About the Upcoming Events
Next week we will have two fantastic events. One is in Los Angeles and you are cordially invited to the USC School of Cinematic Arts on Tuesday (November 19th) at 7 pm for the free event! It’s the USC Awards-Qualified Short Film Showcase of six short films, hand-picked by See-Through Films.
Obraza ( Resentment ) will be among these beautiful films. After the screening, Kathleen McInnis ( See Through Films ) will moderate a director’s Q&A
Please RSVP here read more about the event here.
The second event is totally amazing. I am very fortunate to connect with Ira Sachs and Oren Moverman who kindly agreed to host and moderate the screening of Obraza in New York City.
The event will take place at Firehouse DCTV on November 20th at 6:30 pm EST. RSVP here.
I will be at both events and would happily answer more questions if you attended and asked them.
Take advantage of these events because sometimes you need to stand up, hear your voice, and be vocal. this is how it works for me anyway, sorry if I am projecting. But maybe at Q&A, you will listen to something for the first time, and I am not talking about something that someone might say, but something you might ask, something that helps your internal validation, and that might change your project and how you might do it the following day.
Do you have anything else you’d like to share?
I am only excited about what may happen next. There are always ups and downs, but every time I feel down, I look up, and that’s the only way to continue with the journey because it never ends.
We are Seeking the Future of Film – Submit Your Short Today
All films uploaded to T-Port before our deadline of November 30, 2024 will be automatically considered for our T-Port Lighthouse Selections – a curated selection of films picked by leading industry programmers. The T-Port Lighthouse Selections is considered our premium collection and given increased exposure to our network of film professionals.
T-Port films are only accessible to professionals, so your premiere status will not be affected.
Stake your place in the next generation of filmmakers waiting to be discovered for only 15 Euros / year. Find out more on our website and get started with T-Port today.
Or sign up for our newsletter to get regular updates on the current trends and exciting innovations in the short film universe.