Max Bessmertny
Directing
Biography
Max grew up in an artistic family with an accomplished painter father and a classical pianist mother, surrounded by a multicultural environment with friends and family speaking Russian, Portuguese, English and a little bit of Cantonese. He was inspired to view the world in a unique way which is reflected in all his film projects. After graduating from New York University Tisch School of Arts Masters in Film, Max wrote, directed and produced the noir short "Tricycle Thief" which was the first 'made in Macao' film to World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2014 and won the 2015 Kodak Gold Award. His award-winning shorts include "Dirty Laundry" which premiered at We Are One (Tribeca x Youtube Film Festival in 2020) and "The Handover", a 30-minute black-and-white comedy which won best local entry at the Macao International Short Film Festival. In 2022 Max embarked on his first feature film journey with "The Violin Case", a story inspired by a true incident that happened to his father many years ago. The film was independently fundraised and shot during COVID when the whole world was under lockdown. It features an entirely local cast and crew and a childhood friend of Max's as lead actor - Kelsey Wilhelm. The storytelling style was inspired by the movie "After Hours", which parallels with the hero in "The Violin Case" who goes on a journey around the city in desperate search of his lost artwork.
Known For
A painter has the worst night of his life after leaving his violin artwork in the back of a taxi in Macao.
The Violin Case
"Years of Macau" is an anthology film consisting of nine short films set in different years and locations in Macau. They include "Go Back Home", "REC-Last Days", "Sparkling Mind", "The Last Show", "Till the End of World", "The First Cigarette", "A Moment", "Dirty Laundry" and "Summer". All nine directors are from Macau, most of whom were born and raised here. The stories of each film share what the directors feel about Macau using the language of cinema to convey their love for the city.
Years of Macau
A fisherman, a banker and an actress are involved in a love triangle in the middle of the ocean.
Sampan
After discovering his eviction notice, a tricycle driver goes on a desperate hunt for money.
Tricycle Thief
A single banknote travels through town and clears all debts. Where does it end up?
The Great Debt
O Cravo (The Carnation) revisits the old streets of Macau, from the point of view of film noir: a passionate Portuguese man, a broken heart, an intrigue, a dark alley, memories of a lost territory.
O Cravo
Everything that can go does go wrong in a five star hotel.
Making of a Monster
A laundry cleaner named Wonton falls for a prostitute.
Wonton
A Hmong guide's daily life in the mountains of Sapa, North Vietnam.
Chin and the Mountain
A group of studio executives cast for the replacements of a band gone missing.
Brazilian Device
Two roomates become acquainted during a game of chess.
Live
Two millennials: Richard, a film studies student, and Ethan, a music producer preparing to launch his own startup—share a flat in Macau with a cherished washing machine, affectionately named R3D2. When they suddenly need to dispose of it, though, the two Westerners embark on a nine-minute journey of desperation, misdemeanors, and language barriers that folds the history of Macau into a dryly funny take on the myth of Sisyphus.
Dirty Laundry
A feudal lord bans an assassin from the garden of earthly delights until he fulfills an order.
Death of a Parrot
A monument handcrafted by Konstantin Bessmertny is exhibited at Venice Biennale 2007.
Si Monumentum Requiris, Circumspice
On the day they move apartments, a couple struggles to get everything in order before the landlord arrives for a final inspection.
The Handover
In the Douro, five winemakers get together with the aim of exporting Portuguese wine to the world.
The Douro Boys: Winter Season
Cheng, an ambassador of Peranakan Culture in Singapore discovers a painting that propels him to leave Singapore.
The Ninth Wave
A 64 year old cardboard collecting grandmother and a Brazilian bodybuilder reveal the identity of Macau through the pointillist minutiae of their life experience, emotional strength, and driving passions.
What's Your Art?
The sevn sins of a group of hotel employees.
Seven Scenes
A young man falls while jogging.