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Show Up

Friday evening. Coney Island, New York. Russian-American drag artist Maxim and his mom Ilona separately tell us the history of their family back in Russia and during their immigration to the US while getting ready for the Maxim's performance. Soon they will reunite, just it should be.

  • Maria Zakhodiaichenko
    Director
  • Sergeii Markelov
    Camera
  • Sophie Mager
    Camera
  • Igor Popeliukh
    Camera
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    11 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    March 18, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    0 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    Russian
  • Shooting Format:
    digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - New York Film Academy
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Maria Zakhodiaichenko

Maria Zakhodiaichenko is a female documentary filmmaker from Russia. Born and raised there, she has moved to Latvia right after the war in Ukraine started.

For the past several years she has been working as a video journalist for the BBC. After she took a documentary filmmaking course at the New York Film Academy, she decided to start her own career as a director.

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Director Statement

SHOW UP for me is a story about several things. Russia and the United States, children and parents, love and struggles, acceptance and sacrifices, life and death.

I feel that we managed to talk about all this big things through a little story of one family — drag artist Maxim and his mother Ilona. Despite that it is full of sadness and grief, it is also full of joy.

True catharsis in the end of the film, when our heroes are reunited once again, brings me up every time I watch it. I sincerely hope you will enjoy it too.