Yuri Zeltser escaped from the Soviet Union in the early 80’s. He attended the NYU Film School and the AFI in Los Angeles. He’s worked extensively as a screenwriter and directed six independent feature films. Yuri has three children. He lives in LA.
What it the title of your film in BIFF 2024?
Circumcision
What was your first experience with film and how did it influence your first project?
I became a member of an underground film club in Moscow, USSR, after I got expelled from high school for trying to emigrate. Making short 8mm and screening them at secret locations gave me a lot of guerrilla filmmaking experience that allowed me to get into the NYU film school
Who is (are) your favorite filmmakers?
David Lynch
Andrei Tarkovsky
Stanley Kubrick
What are you working on that no one knows about?
No one knows about it. Not even me. 🙂
Who would play you in a movie? What’s your go to movie snack? What’s the film title that best describes your life?
Joaquin Phoenix
Popcorn no butter
Eyes Wide Shut