Hi! I’m Arina Podkorytnikova, an animator and director
I create films that you feel before you understand them. My stories explore memory, nostalgia, loneliness, and the small things that keep us warm.
I enjoy blending techniques: 2D animation over live footage, stop-motion, paper collage, and digital painting. Each project receives a visual aesthetic tailored to its mood.
I am currently looking to collaborate with studios, producers, musicians, and brands. If you have a story that needs the right atmosphere, let’s connect!
What I can do for you
For studios and producers Directing, storytelling, and concept development, 2D animation over live footage, stop-motion, compositing.For musicians Story-driven music videos, from initial concept to final edit.For brands Short, seasonal social media videos with a warm, nostalgic aesthetic.
Selected Projects
The Box of Memories
01 · Short Film · Stop-Motion + 2D · 2:21 · Solo About the things that keep our memories alive
TASK How do you visually represent a memory? It has no defined shape, yet we all hold small objects that trigger it.IDEA A tin box filled with various small objects. Each item unlocks a different memory—one that might be humorous, melancholic, or simply imbued with a specific feeling.SOLUTION I used stop-motion animation for the objects and overlaid the memories onto live-action footage using white, ethereal figures. Color appears only briefly, like a sudden flash from the past.RESULT A two-minute film exploring the nostalgia for vastly different life moments.
A New Year Miracle
02 · Brand Content · Tsekh 85 Bakery · 2 × 0:40 two winter stories that conclude at the bakery
TASK The bakery needed New Year videos for social media—something warm that evokes Tsekh 85 when people think of the holidays.
IDEA Two short stories: one set in Moscow and one in St. Petersburg. Both converge at Tsekh 85, where Ded Moroz is already waiting. The second story is a nod to «Home Alone.»
SOLUTION I rendered both cities in warm gold against a deep blue night, positioning the bakery as the coziest place in town.
RESULT «Golden Moscow» and «Not Home Alone”—two videos chronicling a genuine New Year’s miracle.
Unjust
03 · Music video · Magrafenina · 3:10 · solo about loss, loneliness, and moving on
TASK The song «Nespravedlivo» («Unfair») is about something that didn’t work out. It’s sad, but not hopeless, and the video needed to convey both emotions.
IDEA A girl standing alone by the sea in a black-and-white world. Small drawn elements begin to appear around her: butterflies, flowers, a blue scarf, a lamp.
SOLUTION I filmed live footage and hand-animated over it. Every touch of color is a sign that she is already moving on.
RESULT A music video that suggests: if it didn’t work out now, it will work out another time—at the right moment and in the right place.
Where Does the Bear Live?
04 · Short film · co-directed with Masha Shatalova · 5:30 · duo about a boy who must fight a dragon to be seen
TASK We wanted to capture the feeling of a child when the adults at home are too preoccupied with their own problems to truly see them.IDEA A boy feels isolated within his own family. A giant blue bear transports him into an imaginary realm, where he must battle a dragon—a symbol of the distress at home.SOLUTION We structured the film across two contrasting worlds: a cold, dark blue home and a soft pink fantasy landscape. I directed the film alongside Masha Shatalova.RESULT A five-minute film created at the HSE Art and Design School. Upon his return, the boy’s parents finally notice him.
To Me, When I Grow Up
05 · Short film · in progress · paper collage · solo about the child living in every adult
