The Real American
United States, 13m, Digital
A Post-Soviet Union exchange student stops fearing American culture and starts shaving her legs.
Director: Darya Zhuk
Writer(s): Darya Zhuk, Guy Cimbalo
Producer(s): Viktorya Aleksanyan
Co-Producer(s): Mitch Maxman
Director of Photography: Jessica Bennett
Editor(s): Niv Klainer
Cast: Tamara Sevunts, John Rothman, Carolyn McCormick, Gerard Assante, Stephen Stapinski, Josephine Buldo, James Crichton, Mariah Lee
Contact: Darya Zhuk, darya.zhuk@gmail.com
About the Writer/Director
DARYA ZHUK, born in Minsk, Belarus, was 16 when she left to study in the United States. A Harvard graduate, she tried her hand at various film genres such as documentary and video art before firmly arriving at her interest in narrative directing. She holds an M.F.A. in directing with honors from Columbia University. Her films were selected to the Tarkovsky, Oaxaca, Palm Springs, SXSW and Atlanta film festivals, amongst others. She recently directed a TV pilot Filfak for Russian channel TNT, which was greenlit for production. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.
About the Producer
VIKTORYA ALEKSANYAN (Producer) was born in Armenia and started as a journalist with an M.A. degree in economic journalism. While still a student, she worked as a writer, copywriter and public relations manager. A few years after graduation, she joined an outdoor theater project in Norway as a blogger and performer. Shortly thereafter, Aleksanyan moved to New York to pursue her M.F.A. in film at Columbia University. She produced a documentary feature, currently in post-production, titled Tai Chi’s Journey West. She has written, directed and produced Caregivers, a short film which is on the international film festival circuit. Viktorya is currently a freelance production coordinator at HBO Documentaries.
