Maksim Avdeev

Directing

Maksim Avdeev was born and raised in the quaint Russian town of Agryz, with a population of barely ten thousand and no public swimming pool. From an early age, they harbored a creative and inquisitive spirit, finding solace and inspiration in movies that served as a magical escape from the constraints of reality. Films featuring actors like Jim Carrey and Meryl Streep captivated them, and their first emotional cinematic experience with "Kramer vs. Kramer" ignited a desire to become a storyteller and filmmaker. Despite this passion, Maksim's creativity remained stifled during much of their childhood. It wasn't until their relocation to St. Petersburg that they discovered the ball scene, a crucial catalyst for embracing their sexuality and identity. This newfound liberation led them to pursue professional training as an actor. During their time at drama school, Maksim graced several theater productions, short films, and music videos. Notably, they took on the lead role in the music video for the Russian band Sansara, a project that doubled as a branded short film for the Russian LGBT network, titled "We Will Become Better." The film gained international acclaim, earning distinctions such as "Best Concept" at the Berlin Music Video Awards and "Best Director" at the Cannes Lions. Encouraged by the film's director, Andzej Gavriss, Maksim embarked on writing his first short screenplay, "The Tribute," which received recognition at various international screenwriting contests. The themes of motherhood, acceptance of queer identity, femininity, and feminism explored in "The Tribute" turned out to be pivotal elements in their artistic expression. In search of renewed freedom, Maksim settled down in Berlin, where plans to bring "The Tribute" to life were disrupted by the full-scale Russian invasion in Ukraine. The emotional and physical devastation he experienced prompted them to channel their feelings into two short experimental films, "Motherland" and "Homeland," as a response to overwhelming feelings of shame, fear, and anger. Maksim wrote spoken word for both of these short films, directed by Dominik Leingartner. In 2023 Maksim was chosen to participate in a workshop “Artist in Exile Professional Training” at Berlin University of the Arts where they pitched “Monument” for the first time. Then Maksim got enrolled into a Professional Documentary Filmmaking Course at UnFilmed School where they finished their debut film and became one of top 6 best projects of the course.