Today we’d like to introduce you to Timur Almazov.
Hi Timur, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Around this time, ten years ago I was sitting where I sit now – in my parents’ kitchen – scouring the web-pages of various think tanks looking for an internship. I was doing my undergrad in Politics, Philosophy and Economics and was deadset on becoming an economist. Then, in my second semester Sophomore year I took a screenwriting class, changed my career choice and probably robbed my parents of some sleep.
It wasn’t something that came completely out of the blue. I always dabbled in the creative pursuits when I was young but I’ve never seen anyone with a creative vocation either in my family or circle of acquaintances growing up, so it always seemed like an unviable option. In college, for the first time, I met people who were going to be writers and filmmakers and poets and being surrounded by them gave me confidence that such a thing was possible.
After graduating I moved to London and tried to break into the film industry amidst the pandemic. At the same time, I began to write and slowly but surely started developing my work – shooting some short films, music videos, social content before eventually applying to AFI Conservatory and moving to America again, this time – hopefully – without any surprise career detours.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The biggest challenge for me has perhaps been catching up with my peers. I find that as an artist there is a lot of time you need to develop your craft and with filmmaking being such an expensive medium, it’s very difficult to really get to practice. At the same time, you have to find your voice and figure out what it is that you want to say or what kinds of films that you want to make and discovering that – in my experience – can only be done through trial and error. As I was working in London and trying to climb up the industry ladder, I had to be conscious of my skill-gap and my time, making sure that I was putting in an effort into working on my own projects and pouring any money I had into shooting little films myself. That whole time felt like bumbling around in the dark and it is only now that I’m starting to feel like I know what it is that I want to do.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a writer/director working mostly in comedies and slice of life dramas. I find myself drawn to stories that are introspective examinations of specific characters and their myriad of follies. Oftentimes my work is inspired by something ridiculous or embarrassing that’s happened to me or quirks of human nature that I find in myself or my friends that I feel are paradoxical and worth exploring on the screen.
With every project I’m drawn to the characters most of all and seeing the internal drama that goes on within them. This is true of my latest film – a historical drama set in 1960s rural Appalachia. In some ways, it’s a lot different to what I’ve done in the past, and yet it’s my favorite bit of work as I feel that it lets the audience connect with a stranger whose life is so different to ours and yet we’re able to fully understand her. That’s what I love about films the most.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
There are a lot of people who have been instrumental in my growth and learning. But I guess, my father has been a great influence on me from the very early age. He’s an incredible storyteller, always recounting some tale from his past whenever we had guests visiting us or were just gathered as a family. I have many fond memories seeing the whole table staring at him as he would recount his adventures in the military service or as a manager on an oil rig. This skill came to him naturally and through many hours of listening (and re-listening) his fables I became engrossed in this whole world of storytelling and learned a few bits at how to do it well.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tim.almo/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timur-almazov/
Image Credits
North BTS Photos by Nic Cáceres
