Meet Ivan Nevesenko

We were lucky to catch up with Ivan Nevesenko recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ivan, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?

I don’t keep creativity alive. I think it’s the other way around. In these difficult times — for me, and for my homeland — the need to tame fear and pain feels especially urgent. Cinema is what helps me survive. I turn overwhelming, destructive emotions into something I can shape and release — scripts, films, essays. My work isn’t planned or strategic — it’s a natural, almost involuntary response to the existential dread that has grown more terrifying with each passing year.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m a writer and director whose vision and creative drive are shaped by fear, doubt, and a deep fascination with the fragility of the human soul.

My films are living organisms — pieced together from shards of raw, honest human reality, magic, nightmares, and existential dread.

I come from Ukraine — a country that has taught me the true meaning of tragedy, but also what it means to resist, no matter the odds.

I’m most inspired by stories that, as old Lars von Trier once put it, “feel like a stone in your shoe” — uncomfortable, unsolved, free of hand-holding, stories that don’t offer answers but ask necessary questions. I work on large-scale, production-challenging projects alongside big teams, but I’m just as drawn to picking up an old camcorder and capturing a grainy, raw, experimental film-poem on the fly.

Through my company, Katascope Films, I develop and support works that challenge conventions, elevate outsider voices, and offer audiences something more than entertainment — a confrontation, a reflection, a flicker of something real.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Persistence and belief in yourself — as simple as it sounds, these are the foundations. So is the ability to stand by your vision and develop a kind of emotional immunity to failure.

Honestyю. Both with others and, most importantly, with yourself. Self-deception and illusions of success are some of the greatest enemies in a creative path.

Empathy. The ability to truly place yourself in someone else’s experience is essential if you want to tell stories that feel human. A deep awareness of your own vulnerability helps you better understand others — and that’s how you write believable, interesting characters.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

I’m always looking to connect with fiercely original voices — writers, directors, producers, and artists who aren’t afraid to challenge form, tone, or convention. Through Katascope Films, we’re building a space for work that’s bold, visceral, and alive. If that resonates, reach out — we’re always open to unexpected collaborations that feel necessary, not just strategic.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://katascopefilms.com
• Instagram: @soda_9000