cuprum

.don’t look away

не отрывай глаза

A close-up of raised hands in a train.
Участник конкурса фестиваля «Маяк», 2025

Short Film 2025

Runtime: 17 minutes

A story of a brief encounter between a young man and woman, brought together by shared memories and a love of music. Despite their deep connection, their paths are pulling them in opposite and irreversible directions.

Sasha and Lesha unexpectedly meet in a train carriage filled with young people on their way to a music festival. As they reconnect through shared memories and buried feelings, something fragile begins to emerge between them. But Sasha soon realizes that Lesha isn’t heading to the festival — he’s on his way to the front.

This film captures the quiet emotional tension experienced by many of my peers today — a generation caught between youth, love, and the looming presence of war. It’s a story about the intimacy of chance encounters, and the quiet heartbreak of growing up in a time where futures are uncertain and distances are no longer just emotional.

Don’t look away film poster: Sasha and Lesha back to back beside a train window.
A figure with raised arms in a dark train corridor.
A close-up of raised hands in a train.
Sasha and Lesha facing each other.
Young people gathered around a warmly lit table.
Friends in a train corridor.
An embrace.
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storyboard

Don’t look away — storyboard sheet 1.
Don’t look away — storyboard sheet 2.
Don’t look away — storyboard sheet 3.
Don’t look away — storyboard sheet 4.
Don’t look away — storyboard sheet 5.
Don’t look away — storyboard sheet 6.
Don’t look away — storyboard sheet 7.
Don’t look away — storyboard sheet 8.
Don’t look away — storyboard sheet 9.
Don’t look away — storyboard sheet 10.
Don’t look away — storyboard sheet 11.
Don’t look away — storyboard sheet 12.
Don’t look away — storyboard sheet 13.
Don’t look away — storyboard sheet 14.
Don’t look away — storyboard sheet 15.
Don’t look away — storyboard sheet 16.
Don’t look away — storyboard sheet 17.

backstage

A black-and-white photograph of a train in a depot.
The depot beside the railway tracks.
Blurred silhouettes against a bright light.
The cast and crew outdoors.
The crew working inside a crowded train carriage.
A train window seen through a rounded opening.
Lighting equipment beside the train.