Alena Shevchenko and Lisa Astakhova are a writer-director duo, living on different continents. Combining their experience and expertise they produced 'What’s Real' together, which marked the beginning of both creative collaboration and warm friendship.

What's Real follows a young couple in effervescent love, but right from the start we're aware something looms over them, ready to burst the bubble.

Shevchenko << Well, imagine, I’m an emerging commercial director from Moscow, Russia, who has never made a narrative film before. I’d accidentally found this writer, who lives In Los Angeles, and after reading one of her scripts I decided to message her, saying I’d like to make a short together. After a long skype call, Lisa writes a script and I instantly fall in love with it. ‘This is it!’ - I told her.

Flash forward, I am on a plane to LA, making my very first trip to the United States, flying to make a movie with someone I’ve never met before.
We start putting together all the pieces and it feels like it was meant to be. The actors we’ve casted turned out to know and love each other. It’s magic coincidence. 

This script is based on the personal story of Lisa and it was so close to me too, because I was under the crises of long term relationship. The filmed helped to overcome the break up and learn new things. The most important one, when you're staying alone, you need to know exactly who you're staying with. >>

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