Private Project

Beneath My Skin

"Beneath My Skin" is a Russian language drama film written and directed by Anastasia Shilovich. It is about a 20 year old woman called Asya who suffered a severe burn when she was a child. Since the accident she has become isolated and introverted. She feels as though she has been marked as different through her scars and tries to hide them at any cost.

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When she meets a photographer named Savva who is desperate to use her in his work, she faces a fork in the road, to carry on in her own introverted world or to be strong and accept herself.

  • Anastasia Shilovich
    Director
  • Anastasia Shilovich
    Writer
  • Peter Simison
    Producer
  • Victoria Bychkova
    Key Cast
    "Asya (20)"
  • Rustam Abdryahimov
    Key Cast
    "Savva"
  • Zabava Neskromnaya
    Key Cast
    "Asya (8)"
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    О-жог
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Runtime:
    15 minutes 11 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 8, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    2,500 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    Russian Federation
  • Country of Filming:
    Russian Federation
  • Language:
    Russian
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    Scope
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes
Director Biography - Anastasia Shilovich

Anastasia has a wealth of experience as a theatre director in Russia. Transferring her skills over into the Russian film industry in 2016, she worked as a script supervisor, co-ordinator and assistant director on features and series.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

When I was five years old I was badly burned when a kettle of
boiling water fell on me from a height. I spent the next two years
in and out of hospitals having operations and skin grafts. I knew
these scars were never going to heal and I have since spent my
life so far, slowly coming to terms with this and learning to accept the way I now look.

It has been a long journey to try and accept myself. Writing this
film has been an important step in learning to respect the way I am and to regain the confidence I once had.

I was born in the city of Nizhny Novgorod in Russia. The only
way I feel like I can truly express my feelings through this film is
to write it in Russian and to set it in the environment that I feel is
closest to my experiences. This is why we've filmed it in
Nizhny Novgorod. The attitude that Russian people have
towards people who are different is unique to its culture and
could not be accurately portrayed if filmed in the UK.
As the film is based on a true story I feel a responsibility to make
it as valuable as possible. My attitude towards it should hopefully create an emotional response and help others overcome similar difficulties.