Meet Anton Sinitsyn | Photographer / Director & Cinematographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anton Sinitsyn and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anton, what do you want people to remember about you?
As of right now, I haven’t lived in this world for very long and haven’t had time to do many things to be remembered for. But if there’s one thing I’ve always tried, both consciously and subconsciously, to carry with me since I was a child, it’s empathy. I hope to be remembered as an empathetic artist, an empathetic person. I hope that through both my art and the way I live, I can offer a strong example of what empathy looks like.
I believe it’s impossible to be an artist without being empathetic. In order to create, you have to understand what people feel, how and why they feel. Even if an artist says they create only for themselves, art ultimately exists for the audience: to be seen, appreciated, and connected with.
Empathy is what allows us, as creatives, to communicate with others and to stay open to the world. It helps us see what’s wrong, what needs care, what needs change, and to weigh in. Without that openness, there’s no real way to grow, either as an artist or as a person. Growth doesn’t come from thinking you already know everything, it comes from discovering new truths about yourself and the world around you.
My high school literature teacher spent hours and days teaching us kids about emotional intelligence, and I think understanding others and their diverse perspectives – being empathetic – is the most important element of being emotionally fluent. The more you grow you get to understand that there is no black&white, most of the world is in shades of grey (just like in black-and-white photography) and there is almost never only one correct truth or opinion.
From a very young age, I’ve always thought about others and how they experience life. Trying to understand different perspectives shaped who I am, and I know it will keep shaping me as I continue to grow.
I would be content if people remember me as the one who approaches the world with curiosity and care.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve been involved with art for the majority of my life. I think it all started when my father taught me and my sister how a camera works: what aperture, shutter speed, and ISO are, and how they interact. I was about five years old at the time. Maybe nothing truly stuck back then, but that early experience definitely rooted my passion for visual art, which blossomed as I got older.
Not long after, I received my own little digital camera as a gift for my sixth birthday. To my father’s surprise, I didn’t take many photos. Instead, I discovered the power of video. I would record myself improvising stories and playing multiple characters, never cutting the camera or putting it down. That might sound like the beginning of an actor’s coming-of-age story, but that’s not where things went.
As I grew up, I continued to experiment with photo and video, but I rarely returned to being in front of the camera, except for the occasional school project. Everything changed when I found my dad’s old film camera in the attic, around the same time I became fascinated by the magic behind the filmmaking process. That’s when I decided to become a director.
I moved from Russia to Los Angeles to pursue a filmmaking degree. Amidst all the college projects, I somehow found time to deepen my knowledge of photography as well. After wavering between digital and analog, I came to see film photography as my way. The analog process allows me to be more intentional and present. It limits me and eliminates the distractions of the digital world. I love its imperfections, the texture, and the endless possibilities that come with developing.
I taught myself how to develop and scan film at home to save money and have more control over the final image. After more than two years of doing everything myself, I’ve developed and scanned over 500 rolls of film.
While the negatives piled up and digital footage collected on my hard drives, I wrote, directed, and shot three short films that I’m proud of, some of which were featured in festivals. I shot thousands of photographs and created an archive of behind-the-scenes film set photography that I continue to expand. I also developed and shot an experimental short film structured almost entirely as a photomontage. It is about to begin its festival journey in the coming year.

The project that I am most proud of is my photo-book “I Feel Stuck on the Sidewalk While Birds Are Watching”, which took 3 years of hard work to complete. It came from long days of exploring and photographing Burbank on foot in the city designed for cars and long nights selecting and sequencing the most compelling images.
“I Feel Stuck on the Sidewalk While Birds Are Watching” is a poetic visual archive of a lone wanderer traversing the seemingly mundane Burbank. Through quiet nooks and crannies, vacant lots, birds, and other urban inhabitants, this book paints a portrait of Burbank unseen by the untrained eye – an observation of loneliness, societal detachment, and the way routine conceals a peculiar, quiet beauty.
Currently I am in a search of publishing houses that would collaborate with me for the initial print run.

There are endless possibilities for personal growth when you are an artist, and I am excited for what this creative path will bring me in the future!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Some of my favorite spots in the city of Los Angeles are curated movie theaters/revival cinemas – BrainDead Theater, New Beverly Theater, and The Academy Museum theater. These places screen old movies from all over the world, often in analogue formats, which any movie enthusiast like me would enjoy. At least two times a month I’m there.
My favorite spot for good and fast food is NoName Shawarma on Glenoaks. It reminds me of home.
Recently I’ve been spending a lot of time in DTLA and Hollywood, practicing street photography. There is definitely a lot to see – all kinds of people, beauty, chaos, all sorts of everything for everybody.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First of all, my parents and my sister who supported me through everything. They believe in me during the moments when I struggle to believe in myself, and they encourage every new thing I take on. Thanks to them, I had the freedom to explore the world and my own voice. They helped shape who I am and raised me to be an empathetic and curious person.
I’m also deeply grateful to the friends I’ve met here, as well as those back in Russia. My collaborators, too – all the people who’ve stood by me, worked with me, inspired me. Without their support and encouragement, I probably wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing today.

Website: https://www.antonsinitsyn.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/antonsinitsyn_/

Image Credits
BTS images, Photobook, Stills by Anton Sinitsyn; Anton in his Workspace by Diego Galindo; Anton on set with actors by Kexin Tang