Darya Zhuk

Darya Zhuk
Born (1980-04-26) April 26, 1980 (age 44)
Minsk
Occupation(s)Film director, playwright
Notable workCrystal Swan

Darya Zhuk is an independent film director and playwright of Belarusian origin. She was born in Minsk in 1980, at the age of 16 she left to the USA where she studied economics at Harvard and started her career as a business analyst at HBO. She became interested in filmmaking and in 2014 graduated with honors from Columbia MFA in Directing.[1][2] Zhuk's credits as director and playwright include detective drama Zato for Netflix,[3][4] Russian Affairs for Amazon Europe, Little America for Apple TV+, and many more.[5] As an independent director, she won such prestigious grants as New York State Council for the Arts, Panavision Emerging Filmmaker grant, and Interdisciplinary Council for the Art of Columbia University.[1]

In 2018, she released her feature debut Crystal Swan,[6] a story about a young DJ girl who hopes to get an American visa and go to the USA.[7][5][8] At the post-production stage, the movie won the Best International Works in Progress award at PÖFF film festival in Tallinn[1] as well as several prizes at international film festivals.[2] Crystal Swan was selected as the Belarusian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Oscars,[1] but was not nominated.[9][10]

In 2023, Zhuk presented her We Haven’t Met Until This Summer at the 23rd edition of the east–west co-production market at German Film Festival Cottbus. The project is produced by Ewa Puszczynska.[11]

Zhuk is one of the founders of the Belarusian Film Academy (BIFA).[12]

Zhuk's upcoming project is titled Exactly What It Seems and is described as a dystopian science fiction drama. The film is produced by Belarus-born, Estonia-based producer Volia Chajkouskaya.[5]

As of 2024, she is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia University School of the Arts.[2]

  1. ^ a b c d "Darya Zhuk". Tribeca Film Institute. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
  2. ^ a b c "Darya Zhuk". Columbia University. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
  3. ^ Dimambro, Angeline (2022-02-24). "Darya Zhuk '15 Directs Episodes of 'ZATO' for Netflix". Columbia University. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
  4. ^ "Netflix freezes project of Belarusian director Darya Zhuk". Euroradio. 2023-03-08. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
  5. ^ a b c Balaga, Marta (2024-08-12). "'Crystal Swan' Director Darya Zhuk Preps Dystopian Science Fiction Drama 'Exactly What It Seems' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
  6. ^ White, Peter (2018-06-29). "Loco Films Boards Vice Films Co-Production 'Crystal Swan' Ahead Of Its Festival Debut". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
  7. ^ Basse, Lena (2018-12-01). "Crystal Swan (Belarus)". Golden Globes. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
  8. ^ Donnelly, Matt (2018-07-01). "Belarus to Enter Oscar Race After 22 Years With Indie Gem 'Crystal Swan'". The Wrap. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
  9. ^ Holdsworth, Nick (30 June 2018). "Oscars: Belarus Selects 'Crystal Swan' for Foreign-Language Category". The Hollywood Reporter. Valence Media. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  10. ^ Победители Национальной кинематографической премии «НИКА» за 2018 год [Winners of the National Cinematography Award "NIKA" for 2018] (in Russian). Russian Academy of Cinema Arts and Science. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
  11. ^ Blaney, Martin (2021-09-16). "Ivan Tverdovsky, Darya Zhuk projects head Germany's Connecting Cottbus line-up". Screen Daily. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
  12. ^ Vourlias, Christopher (2023-02-17). "Filmmakers Launch Belarusian Film Academy to Give a Voice to Threatened Artists in Repressive Putin Ally". Variety. Retrieved 2024-08-20.