Experiencing Interruptions?

HOW I SEE

HOW I SEE
15 min | B&W | San Francisco

Shot in the chaotic streets and alleys of the San Francisco Tenderloin with a visual parallel to the violent invasion Russia continues to impose on my home country. My subject is the slow death of human decency caused by systemic neglect and the predations of unchecked money and power.

Presented in collaboration with the Tenderloin Museum.

  • Zhan Petrov
    Director
  • Zhan Petrov
    Writer
  • Zhan Petrov
    Producer
  • Rob Nilsson
    Producer
  • Rob Nilsson
    Key Cast
  • Mstyslav Chernov
    Key Cast
  • Robert Zagone
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    15 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    January 1, 2026
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Zhan Petrov

Zhan Petrov is a Ukrainian filmmaker based in San Francisco, working across documentary and experimental cinema.

Named after Jean-Luc Godard, Petrov’s work is rooted in a tradition of cinema that challenges structure and embraces immediacy. Before filmmaking, he trained and worked as a second officer at sea, navigating international routes—an experience that informs his disciplined, observational approach to storytelling.

Petrov has collaborated closely with filmmaker Rob Nilsson over the past eight years, working within the Direct Action method—an approach that integrates real environments, non-actors, and spontaneous interaction into the filmmaking process.

His feature documentary THE WAY THINGS SEEM TO BE, a four-hour film exploring Nilsson’s life and work, was presented in collaboration with the California Film Institute.

His work explores displacement, social systems, and human behavior under pressure, often operating at the intersection of documentary and narrative.

Petrov maintains ongoing collaborations with cultural institutions in San Francisco, including the Tenderloin Museum, where his work engages directly with local communities.

His films have been featured on independent platforms and publications, including CineSource.

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Director Statement

My subject is the slow death of human decency caused by systemic neglect and the predations of unchecked money and power.

This is how I see.
— Zhan Petrov
Director, HOW I SEE