Vasilisa Kuzmina

Vasilisa Vasilievna Kuzmina, born on 29 November 1991 in Moscow, is a Russian filmmaker, screenwriter, and actress. After completing a degree in economics at MGIMO and Columbia University in New York, she returned to Russia to attend the prestigious Mikhail Shchepkin Theater School and later studied at Fyodor Bondarchuk’s Industry Movie and Television School. Her diverse education reflects a blend of analytical thinking and artistic passion, forming the foundation for her multifaceted career in front of—and behind—the camera.

Kuzmina began attracting attention in 2017 with her leading role in the film Muse, which earned her the Best Film award at the International Film Festival for Peace, Inspiration, and Equality, and later that same year she served on the jury of the Monaco International Film Festival. In 2018, her student short Free That Guy won Best Film at the Los Angeles Film Awards. That same year, she wrote and directed Alisa—a short film developed through a national competition sponsored by Yandex Medialab and backed by acclaimed filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov’s Bazelevs Film Company. The short earned nominations at festivals across Sydney, Seoul, and Hong Kong, solidifying Kuzmina’s reputation as a promising new voice in Russian cinema.

In 2020, Kuzmina and collaborator Ivan Petukhov adapted Alisa into a five-part mini‑series, which premiered at South by Southwest (SXSW) in the U.S., marking her entry into international festival programming. Her feature‑length debut came in 2022 with Nika, a biographical drama about Soviet teenage poet Nika Turbina, co-written with Yulia Gulyan. Shot on 35 mm film for authenticity, the film premiered at SXSW and earned a Special Jury Recognition for Breakthrough Performance. Through Nika, Kuzmina explores themes of youthful genius, fame, and the emotional toll of adolescence—echoing broader societal questions about childhood celebrity in the digital age.