Tyomchik
Artem (20) has mental challenges and is on the autism spectrum, which makes his social life difficult.
He lives with his mother and spends all his free time reading books. Artem earns his living by washing dishes in a famous restaurant in the city.
This restaurant is well-known because its owner, rumored to be Azamat (40), hosts underground poker games. To find money for his mother’s heart surgery, Artem decides to participate in the games. Thanks to his excellent mathematical skills and memory, Artem manages to capture the attention of the restaurant owner, Azamat, and make new friends among the restaurant staff.
However, Azamat deceives him and takes the money Artem earned in the games. He promises to return it only if Artem wins in the "big game," a high-stakes poker game. Artem agrees for the sake of his mother, and Azamat places a significant bet on Artem’s victory.
Artem arrives at the big game and performs very well, winning round after round until he is left one-on-one with the final player. But in the last round, Artem loses the game, ruining all of Azamat’s bets.
Artem escapes from the restaurant to meet his friends from the restaurant staff. Before the game began, Artem had made an agreement with them to bet against him, tricking Azamat and earning a lot of money.
Artem and his friends split the money, and he successfully pays for his mother’s surgery.
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Ivan LinovDirector
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Yevhenii BoichenkoWriter
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Angelina StepanenkoProducer
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Anton GudkovDoP
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Project Title (Original Language):Тьомчик
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Project Type:Short, Student
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Runtime:12 minutes 30 seconds
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Production Budget:5,000 USD
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Country of Origin:Ukraine
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Country of Filming:Ukraine
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Language:Ukrainian
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Shooting Format:RED
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Aspect Ratio:4:3
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Film Color:Black & White and Color
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:Yes - Киевский национальный университет культуры и искусств
Born on November 15, 2001, in a small town in Sumy Oblast, into the family of a military officer.
From childhood, Ivan dreamed of becoming a pilot and was passionate about the military. Due to his father’s constant work engagements, his mother, who spent most of her life working as an editor for a local newspaper, took on the role of raising him.
During his early school years, Ivan’s parents encouraged his creative interests.
He performed at local celebrations, sang, and danced in a troupe but quickly lost interest in these activities. Left alone at home often due to his parents’ busy schedules, Ivan began spending a lot of time watching films on DVD. The underdeveloped internet at the time meant that he would rewatch some movies multiple times. Among the directors whose styles had a lasting impact on him was Martin Scorsese.
At the age of 12, Ivan discovered YouTube and began creating videos.
This helped him develop his imagination, editing skills, and unique style. The process brought him joy, and he enthusiastically worked on improving his videos. Over time, the YouTube community started supporting his work, particularly praising his editing skills and ability to present information in an accessible and engaging way.
As a teenager, Ivan began to feel uncomfortable in front of the camera, but his desire to create video content remained.
He eventually closed his YouTube channel and began searching for alternatives. The emotions he experienced while watching Scorsese’s films suggested that directing could be his new path. The loss of his father became another powerful impetus. Ivan learned that his father had once studied directing at a cultural university but had dropped out after one year. This became a defining moment for Ivan, who promised himself never to abandon his dreams, regardless of the challenges.
At 16, Ivan started making short comedic films with friends, handling all stages of production himself.
These projects achieved local success, but as his friends moved to different cities for education, their collaboration came to an end. Ivan then enrolled at the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts, majoring in Film and Television Directing.
During his studies, Ivan created student works, including the documentary film “Scam,” which in 2021 was selected for several international film festivals and received nominations at two of them.
In early 2022, Ivan worked as a director for the entertainment project Lip Sync Battle on the 1+1 TV channel.
However, after filming the first three episodes, the full-scale war began, and production was halted. Initially, Ivan volunteered at a charitable center, but with limited financial resources, he was forced to seek paid work.
In 2023, after stabilizing his situation, Ivan decided to film a new short film, Tyomchyk.
Work on the film was completed in January 2025.
mail: lenev.2001@gmail.com
Instagram: @linevperson