About me
Alexander D. Ignatiev — independent film director, ambient composer and designer. #
Born on October 9, 1999, live in the heart of Europe, at the crossroads of European and Eurasian cultural and geographical worlds, in Minsk, Belarus.
Favorite Films #
Mulholland Dr.
(2001)
Enter the Void
(2009)
L’immortelle
(1963)
The Bed You Sleep In
(1993)
Favorite Music #
Vangelis – Blade Runner
(1994)
Angelo Badalamenti – Twin Peaks
(1990)
Jóhann Jóhannsson – Orphée
(2016)
Portishead – Dummy
(1994)
My works combine a focus on mood, magical realism, mysticism, folklore, detachment, and explore conspiracy facts and theories, proverbs, and sayings with elements of comedy, horror, fantasy, psychological thriller, and sometimes crime. In my projects, I strive to experiment with different styles and approaches in storytelling, because I believe that there is something missing in modern cinema, and it is worth looking for new points of contact between modern, still emerging culture and an increasingly forgotten past.
Studied “Banking” but, realizing it wasn’t for me, switched to “Business Administration.” In this field, I found more opportunities: creating project-based advertising sketches and social clips, writing scripts and slogans for marketing campaigns, and designing brochures and posters.
In July 2022, I shot my first experimental short film titled Have You Seen This Man, or I Think Someone is Watching Us. The film touches on themes of peaceful and carefree days, as well as the fear of uncertainty and the search for one’s path through attentive self-observation. In this project, I partially delved into the genres that attract me the most and will likely continue to develop in the near future: mysticism, psychological thrillers, experimental cinema, and comedy with an emphasis on duality and the subjectivity of human nature.
No matter how many times I’ve tried to create a collective project on my own, it always comes down to me and my personal interest. It might seem like I’m an individualist rather than a team player, and you’d be right. However, in addition to my own work, I’m always open to collaborating and working together on interesting global ideas and large-scale projects (Three Aliens, script supervisor, composer, and assistant in various other areas), in which I feel just as comfortable as I do alone — under three conditions: balance between tasks, periodic breaks into personal projects, and the right environment.
Before I focused on video and cinema, I began writing music. Currently, I’m focusing on genres such as minimalism, ambient, soundtracks (Film in Brighton, 2022; Have You Seen This Man, or I Think Someone’s Watching Us, 2022; Myth/Reality, 2023; Three Aliens, N/A), neoclassicism, downtempo, float-house, and ambient-techno with elements of boom-bap.
One-liners #
- I meditate every day.
- I train in my home gym.
- No expectations, goals, or results — only the process.
- I don’t get offended and don’t blame anyone for anything.
- I don’t like noise or concerts, hate relays and competitions, Windows OS, hardcover books, and boiled carrots.
- I prefer to laugh and focus on what interests me rather than suffer, mourn, and feel jealous.
- I can cook, but whenever possible, I prefer not to spend too much time on it and make something quick, like rice with chicken fillet in tomato-soy sauce.
- I don’t like splitting one task between two, three people, etc.
- I believe everything depends on perspective and that everything depends on the observer.
- I start something by either thinking through every detail or jumping in without thinking at all.
- I leave too easily (physically or mentally) because I see no point in creating conflicts or scenes. I’m not a fan of arguments and don’t seek to prove anything to anyone. If I don’t like something or the situation becomes too confrontational, I just leave. Since I’m comfortable with myself, the bar for engaging with people or situations that don’t suit me is set very high.
- I don’t drink alcohol or smoke tobacco.
People #
People who have inspired me in the past or continue to do so, offering ideas and details that have influenced me. Sometimes I find something common in them, but I can’t agree with them on everything.
P.S. These are not idols.
Abel Ferrara, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Artemy Lebedev, Vladimir Epifantsev, Werner Herzog, Derek Sivers, Donald Glover, Jeremy Saulnier, John Jost, Leonid Gaidai, Lars von Trier, Luke Smith, Mel Gibson, Peter Greenaway, Paul Schrader, S. Craig Zahler, Steven Soderbergh, Sam Hyde, Taylor Sheridan, Gaspar Noé, Ye.
Alain Robbe-Grillet, David Lynch, Vangelis, Jim Abrahams, Carl Gustav Jung, Nikolai Gogol, Nikola Tesla, Robert Altman, Stanley Kubrick, Theodore Kaczynski, Jóhann Jóhannsson.
More #
📚 Library
Reading Logs.
🗒️ Shopping and Wish List
A list-note of what I plan to or would like to purchase.
Hardware #
- MacBook Pro 13" (2017) – computer (2019)
- IPhone XS Max – phone (2024)
- KZ ZAR – earphones (2024)
- Zoom H5 – recorder (2021)
- BOYA BY-M1V2 – 2.4GHz Dual-Channel Wireless Microphone System (2023)
- Arturia Analog Experience The Player 25 – synthesizer keyboard (2016)
- Native Instruments Maschine Mikro mkII – drum machine and sampler (2015)
- Power rack by ironzubr.by (2023)
→ Read more about programs and services that I use and recommend.