Private Project

Steel Will

URGENT UPDATE: This movie was made possible in big part due to UKRAINIAN people. Right now there is war going on in Ukraine.
Two of our producers came from that country, and right now they are there with their families.
Our female lead Oksana Platero was born there, and her family suffering there this given moment.
Director and writer of this movie - Eugene Khazin - lived most of my live in that country before moving to USA. His family now living near capital, and can't get out.
"Steel Will" literally can be one of last films, made by Ukrainian nation!
Dear festival screener and programmers! Please, support our nation, our team in effort to bring awareness and show world audience what Ukrainians can create, while it is still possible!

"STEEL WILL" - short cyberpunk (sci-fi) boxing drama movie. Story set in not-so-far future - 10-30 years from now. Film tells about professional boxing champion - Robert Steel “Hammer” - who lost his arm and got replacement with robotic prosthetic. Movie focuses on his struggles in the boxing ring under new conditions, relationships with his loved ones and Robert’s inner fight with himself.

A WORD ABOUT TEAM BEHIND. Creation of this film gathered not only passionate, but very talented and recognizable people. There was 30 members of cast and crew involved at the different stages. Core was formed from team, whos previous short movie "Trick of the Old Cat" got dozen awards and screenings among US festivals of 2019-2020.

To name just few personalities involved in "Steel Will" - we were lucky, to cast for our female lead of Penelope Steel actress Oksana Platero, celebrity from such international series as “Dancing with the Stars” and “Strictly Come Dancing”. One of works of our Cinematographer - Mykola Nick Kovalenko - was included into Cannes Film market. "Steel Will" was edited by Marc Cohen - who among others was nominated for Emmy Awards, and received "Best Editor" at Independent Shorts Awards, World Music and Independent Film Festivals. Musical soundtrack was performed by Chris Wirsig - who is a holder of several Best Musical score awards.

  • Eugene Khazin
    Director
    Trick of the Old Cat, HELL Inc., Quiet Supper
  • Eugene Khazin
    Writer
    Trick of the Old Cat, HELL Inc., Quiet Supper
  • Eugene Khazin
    Producer
    Trick of the Old Cat, HELL Inc., Quiet Supper
  • Mark Heron
    Producer
    Trick of the Old Cat
  • Mykola Nick Kovalenko
    Producer
  • Sean Ferguson
    Key Cast
    "Robert Steel “Hammer”"
    Interview with the Antichrist, Gem, Ultra Low
  • Oksana Platero
    Key Cast
    "Penelope Steel"
    So You Think You Can Dance (TV Series), To the Pointe with Kristyn Burtt (TV Series), The Apprentice (TV Series)
  • Mark Heron
    Key Cast
    "Harley Smith"
    Trick of the Old Cat, Unseen Agenda, For Kate
  • Marco De Ornellas
    Key Cast
    "Marco “Lobo” Polo (Opponent 1)"
    Brazzy Jazzy, The Midnight Trip, The Duchess
  • Melvin Ward
    Key Cast
    "Alexander "The Great" Jenkins (Opponent 2)"
  • Kamy D. Bruder
    Key Cast
    "Bruce (Referee)"
    Memoirs of a Fighter, Land of Dry Bones, Accomplice
  • David Leon Espina
    Key Cast
    "Dave Larotta (Newscaster 1)"
  • Carson Beck
    Key Cast
    "Carl (Newscaster 2)"
  • Tricia Rascoe
    Key Cast
    "Michelle (Newscaster 3)"
  • Volodymyr Panchuk
    Executive Producer
  • Vadym Belozorov
    Executive Producer
  • Mykola Nick Kovalenko
    Director of Photography
    Trick of the Old Cat, Faultline, Quiet Supper
  • Marc Cohen
    Editor
    Carrie Fisher: Wishful Drinking, The Witnesses , Love Ghost: Dead Brother
  • Chris Wirsig
    Music composer
    Trick of the Old Cat, Sistas, The Dead Wives Club
  • Jacob Chacko
    Unit Production Manager
  • Eugene Khazin
    Casting by
  • Mark Heron
    Casting by
  • Kamy D. Bruder
    Stunt coordinator
    The Latin from Manhattan, The Fallout, The Undertaker's Wife
  • Josh Andersen
    Steadicam operator
  • Rob Dyck
    2nd unit Director of Photography/“B” Camera operator
  • Kevin Gomez
    “A” Camera 1st assistant
  • Kelly Thompson
    “B” Camera 1st assistant
  • Justin Williams
    Gaffer
  • Rene Salguero
    Key grip
  • Teo Rodriguez
    Sound mixer on set
  • Yalan Hu
    Sound mixer on set
  • Eric Fox
    Property master
  • Diahann Elise McCrary
    Make-up and hair artist
  • Jessica Sanmarti
    Make-up and hair artist
  • Robert Lindberg
    Assistant editor
  • Thomas Tamura
    Compositor
  • Bill Trousdale, C.A.S.
    Sound supervision and Rerecording
  • Edward McDonald
    Assistant Sound Design and Dialog Editing
  • Sarah Kaufmann
    Poster artist
  • Nick Stefan
    Special thanks
  • Andretti Dante
    Special thanks
  • Francesco Malandrino
    Special thanks
  • Marguerite Lliteras
    Special thanks
  • Ralph Lliteras
    Special thanks
  • Nicholas Bowess
    Special thanks
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Cyberpunk, Sci-fi, Boxing drama
  • Runtime:
    20 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    March 18, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    60,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    RED 6K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.85:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Golden State Film Festival
    Hollywood, Los Angeles
    United States
    March 19, 2021
    Limited local premiere
    Best Sci-Fi Short (Nomination)
  • Independent Shorts Awards
    Hollywood, Los Angeles
    United States
    April 25, 2021
    Best Original Score: Chris Wirsig (Honorable)
  • Independent Shorts Awards
    Hollywood, Los Angeles
    United States
    April 25, 2021
    Best Cinematography: Mykola Nick Kovalenko (Bronze)
  • Independent Shorts Awards
    Hollywood, Los Angeles
    United States
    April 25, 2021
    Best Editing: Marc Cohen (Gold)
  • Independent Shorts Awards
    Hollywood, Los Angeles
    United States
    April 25, 2021
    Best Director (Male): Eugene Khazin (Bronze)
  • Independent Shorts Awards
    Hollywood, Los Angeles
    United States
    April 25, 2021
    Best Sci-Fi Short
  • IndieX Film Fest
    Hollywood, LA, CA
    United States
    June 5, 2021
    Award of Excellence (Special Mention)
  • IndieX Film Fest
    Hollywood, LA, CA
    United States
    June 5, 2021
    Best Director (Male): Eugene Khazin
  • IndieX Film Fest
    Hollywood, LA, CA
    United States
    June 5, 2021
    Best Actress: Oksana Platero
  • IndieX Film Fest
    Hollywood, LA, CA
    United States
    June 5, 2021
    Best Actor: Sean Ferguson
  • IndieX Film Fest
    Hollywood, LA, CA
    United States
    June 5, 2021
    Best Supporting Actor: Mark Heron
  • IndieX Film Fest
    Hollywood, LA, CA
    United States
    June 5, 2021
    Best Original Score (Nomination): Chris Wirsig
  • IndieX Film Fest
    Hollywood, LA, CA
    United States
    June 5, 2021
    Best Sci-Fi Short
  • Palm Springs International ShortFest
    Palm Springs, California
    United States
    June 21, 2022
    Sci-fi short (Selection to video library)
Director Biography - Eugene Khazin

Ukraine born, LA based award winning director\writer, whose past project "Trick of the Old Cat" was a local hit among independent USA film festivals in 2019-2020, including Oscar qualifying one (HollyShorts). He comes from mixed minority background of Ukrainian-Jewish, and despite all odds and prejudices, manages to continue creating films for about 7 years now. Among other clients worked with Olympic boxing champion - Taras Shelestyuk. Till today Eugene has more than 16 successfully finished projects. He focuses mainly on science-fiction and fantasy genres, has years of research experience in this field of fiction.

Eugene was born in Kyiv, Ukraine. He always had a strong interest towards creating original stories and characters. He moved to USA, where as his second degree finished couple of film-making programs at New York Film Academy. Being raised in a time, where West and East cultures have begun to heavily interlink, Eugene has observed different forms of fiction, and he possesses a very good understanding of needs and wishes of people from different nations, worked on sets with people from all continents. His creative mind and unique way of looking at day-to-day things helps him to make coherent and strong visions out of simple but deep stories. He is fluent in English, Ukrainian and Russian.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Usually, director’s statement was something like a trouble for me - everything, I'd like to tell my audience - is already inside my film. But with this project I can retell a lot of things connected to it and rather need to restrict myself and think what to leave behind this short statement. “Steel Will” is in many ways unique thing, not only to myself, but in general.

WHAT IS THIS FILM ABOUT? Struggle in your personal path to your goals - and price, that you may need and willing to pay to achieve it. And that is interesting, how history of creating “Steel Will” reflects ideas told in script. Main hero - Robert Steel “Hammer” - gone through a lot of pain, physical and mental, and managed to break through lowest point in his life and career. “Steel Will” originally begun as a full feature script, in 2017. It was 3 long year of finding financing and pre-production struggles to achieve what you can see now - short intense story, based on selected scenes from bigger screenplay. There were dozens and dozens - “No, this will never work on screen”, “No, it never going to be interesting enough” and “It is impossible to create such thing under given budget” - and this phrases were thrown around on every stage of production of “Steel Will”, till its final completion. It was long and tedious preparation, literally months of researching and consultations, long hours of location scouts, demanding planning and execution of elaborate boxing scenes, carefully filmed and selected shots of action sequences. COVID pandemic came, and as with Robert Steel - during movie story he received hardest blow in his life - pandemic lockdown was lowest point of production, when principal filming was postponed. But, as “Steel Will” a story about determination and dedication - such was qualities of a team behind it, which gave in turn possibility of film to happen no matter what.

There is some kind of superstition in filmmakers circles - that the MORE DIFFICULT WAS THE PROCESS OF CREATING MOVIE - THE BETTER GOING TO BE THE FINAL RESULT. Production itself was very rocky - for example, casting call surprisingly turned out to be very popular, involving more then 300 actors for male lead role of Robert, and more then 500 for female lead - Penelope, which overwhelmed and delayed casting process, demanding to go over all of submissions.

Shooting itself involved many major troubles on its way - while we returned to principal photography during lift of COVID restriction - but many major film studios in Los Angels area also. It was almost impossible task, being independent low-budget movie, to compete with way far bigger productions for time, locations and crew members, and there were several last-moment replacements, cuts down and combinations of different kind that turned into threats to shut down production altogether - but it all turned out to better, where most talented and dedicated people ended in proper positions, and each and everyone gave their best to the final result.

WHY I DECIDED TO CREATE IT? One of the answers is inside it’s genre - cyberpunk boxing drama. Cyberpunk, as sub-genre of Sci-Fi - is a genre in very high demand among viewers nowadays, a lot of people want to see more and more of this kind - yet - there is just so few cyberpunk film and series exist, and even fewer of them of at least interesting and watchable quality. Boxing drama is a more traditional kind of movie, with its own set of clichés and plot-points. And yet - there was no movie, that truly combined cyberpunk and boxing together up to date. “Steel Will” is first of its kind, that done this unusual combination that was on surface for years - think about “Rocky”, that happens inside universe of “Blade Runner”. That was one of my goals - take two preexisting established things and build from them something truly UNORTHODOX.

WHATS SO SPECIAL IN “STEEL WILL”? Aside from unique blend of genres - it is how typical story-points of this genres being treated. Cyberpunk demands, that acting persona will not be just one-dimensional “hero” or “bad guy” - and that was my goal in writing - to create story, where each character will be more like a living person, with his own truth and flaws, where you can not be sure by the end - Was choice of Robert right one? Or was there more verity in words of his wife - Penelope? Was each of them too selfish in his and her own way? My goal was to not give pre-determined answers, but left some aftertaste of movie, involve audience in dialogue and let viewers decide after credits will roll - who held truth in this story. In the end - being drama film about boxing - “Steel Will” main CORE IDEA is about more universal and personal relationships, than just sport bouts.

Other important aspect is a FEMALE SIDE of this boxing drama story - how Penelope, wife of our athlete (portrayed by celebrity actress OKSANA PLATERO) affects his life and career, and how this accident affected her in turn. As it turns out - strong character is not always somebody physically strong. Strong person - is somebody, who have way important trait - ability to do self sacrifice for the sake of loved one.

Boxing drama, on the other hand - older genre, and here we tried to play with it, to turn it into something more interesting. Usually central conflict of such movie - main hero vs his main opponent. But in cause of “Steel Will” it is also addition of hero - Robert - vs himself. And his inner conflict have two sides - he struggling with his body, adapting with his newly acquired robotic prosthetic hard - and he teared apart between his dedication to career and relationship with his loved ones.

WHAT ABOUT VISUALS? Building upon whole “unorthodox” side of movie - FAMILIAR THINGS DONE DIFFERENTLY - we created special approach. Firstly - we took boxing drama established things and visually executed them differently. Usually, in films of such genres boxing itself takes very limited screen time. In some titles it is almost not present at all. We balanced that in “Steel Will”, adding more of boxing itself and carefully arranging this scenes throughout whole duration of the film.

Secondly - most such bouts in boxing films shot in very bland and unremarkable manner, almost same, as you can see it in real fights on tv broadcast - from far angles of cameras outside the ring. We played with this approach and changed it. Goal that was set between me and our cinematographer - Mykola Nick Kovalenko - to set almost all fighting cameras inside boxing ring, behind boxing ropes and facing bright lights, so AUDIENCE WILL FEEL AND SEE how Robert himself perceives about his surroundings at that given moment. Using two cameras simultaneously, we selected and filmed several angles and camera movements, which is simple to execute - but very involving on screen - low angles, 180-rotations around actors or - one of the best - when camera follows glove during punch, diving together with fist into opponent. Test-audience noted, how ACTION SEQUENCES GRABS AND HOLDS your attention thorough whole movie.

IN THE END - despite very hard creation path, going into production hell, but also managing to break out from it - “Steel Will” was finished. With limited crew and resources, we were able to deliver truly one of a kind thing, that looks like something with initially studio budget. Being finished story, this movie is also a part of something bigger - based on feature script it serves as a proof of concept, a step on a path to finding investors to bring full story on screen, with all nuances and even more deeper story and more detailed and elaborate action sequences.

From all our cast and crew - I’d like to say thank you to all our audience and those, who supported us on this way, and wish to all viewers to have TRULY THOUGHTFUL, ENTERTAINING AND EXCITING NEXT 20 MINUTES of their life.