We were lucky to catch up with Yelena Krivosheyeva recently and have shared our conversation below.

Yelena, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I always knew that, since I was very little. As a child I was involved in endless creative activities: theater, dance, painting, you name it. But my journey to choose a creative path as a profession wasn’t immediate. Pressured by my culture, society I was a part of at the time (Russia that is) and primarily my family who always wanted me to have a steady job, I spent a lot of time trying to make them happy. I was pursuing careers that provided financial security but did not make me happy, leaving me wondering constantly what if I was doing what I really wanted to. It wasn’t until my father’s tragic passing from suicide that I have waken up and realized that if I don’t do what I am passionate about, my life isn’t worth living. This path isn’t easy and there are so many uncertainties but it is worth every bit of a struggle.

Yelena, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

As a teenager in Russia, I worked as a journalist, but felt oppressed by the country’s censorship laws. I emigrated to the United States nearly two decades ago and instantly felt more equipped to follow my dreams and tell the stories I enjoyed.

As a writer/director/producer, I draw a lot of her inspiration from my rich cultural background as well as my complex journey as an immigrant. All of the films she I have written and directed are about female characters told from a unique and diverse perspectives.

In 2018 I received an MFA in directing from Chapman University. I have directed a total of seven short films, one TV pilot, and produced a feature film along with multiple shorts.

I don’t know what sets me apart from others. This industry is flooded with egos and vanity and everyone thinks that their story will change the world. And some really do. I only hope that one day I can tell a story that will at least inspire people to think about something they haven’t before. I don’t want to contribute to dull entertainment and excessive violence because there is already plenty of that and not much responsibility taken by the storytellers of today. We, the filmmakers of today, are shaping our culture and influencing future generations, and we need to take that task seriously.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

To be honest, it has been a long journey for me to figure that out. I had to take a long walk around the barn to find narrative filmmaking (or for it to “find me,” as it were.) I started as a journalist in Russia, hoping to write and report on social change and hopefully, even inspire it in a country where much was needed.

I grew up in the ruins of the Soviet Union, a country that lost its identity – a ghost of its former self with limited freedom of speech and political freedoms. I have seen so much hardship as a child that made me a passionate advocate for justice and change and that is what was driving my creative journey for the years to come. As the time went by, after I immigrated to the United States, I grew to realize that I was confusing journalism with storytelling.

That is when my journey of becoming a filmmaker began. And what now was driving me creatively was a realization that sometimes just telling a story that people can simply relate to is significant enough – even if it’s just one person. Creating stories and characters people can relate to positively as a guiding light is just as important as exposing the flaws of a society or system.

These days, I guess I’m at the point where my biggest goal is to hear and see individuals sincerely and genuinely, and use the platform of filmmaking to give a voice to marginalized, misunderstood, or invisible members of our society. Storytelling is as old as humanity and it survives as a powerful tool to share experiences and broaden the depth of our journeys.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

About a year and a half ago, I came across some startling and horrifying statistics about the very large and disproportionate percentage of females in the military who are sexually assaulted. On top of that – they are twice as likely to end up unemployed and unhoused – during a time when they need our support more than ever.

Seeking to understand this heartbreaking phenomenon, I embarked on a journey to make a short film about a homeless female veteran who has been subjected to sexual violence while serving in the American military.

I had created a social media account and was doing research and interviews, carefully planning the posts, posting statistics… and no one seemed to care. I looked at countless other accounts with similar goals and found out that none of them really get any traction or impact.

I asked a friend who is a U.S. Army psychiatrist: “Why is it that a picture of a semi-naked girl can get a million likes but a statistic that one in four women in the military is raped gets one or two sad-face emoji responses?” She replied, “Nobody wants to talk about it.”

It’s as simple and embarrassing as that. As a society we say we care but do we really and what can change that? Why are these women unseen and unheard? Driven by rage and frustration, I I set out to make a digestible short film (The Magic Ticket – premiering soon) not so much about the experience of being sexual assault, but the long-term, “hidden” effects of trauma can be – not just on the individual, but on the fabric of our society as a whole – one which purports to champion heroes…but only when it’s convenient for us.

I realize that I’m not really answering this question since I don’t have a solution either. It’s hard to build an audience for something to which people willfully (and consciously) turn a blind eye. As in my previous answer – perhaps instead of trying to change the world in on broad sweep, if we try to focus on one problem and person at a time, we can slowly chip away at some of our shortcomings as a people, a society, and a global community.

You can follow our account here: (@themagicticketfilm2022)

Contact Info:

• Website: themagicticketfilm.com
• Instagram: @lenushkavk @themagicticket2022
• Facebook: Lena Krivosheyeva/The Magic Ticket Film
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/yelena-krivosheyeva-47b6a2168

Image Credits
Willie Kimbrough