“I’m originally from Russia, where suffering is considered a mandatory daily ritual — and the only route to become a real artist. But like our patron Dostoyevsky - we lace even darkest stories with sharp humor. I come from theater—and it has shaped everything I believe about art. First lesson - unless you’re dead, you show up. The second rule, courtesy of Chekhov: if you don’t make the audience laugh first, they’ll never cry later. I’m drawn to stories that blend both—comedy and heartbreak —like Life is Beautiful, The Truman Show, or Fleabag.”

— YANA GLADKIKH