Meet Eli Bry | Director Actor and Creative Producer

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

Hi Eli Bry, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I was born in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), which is in the northern part of Russia. To be honest, it’s very far away and extremely cold. But I don’t remember it at all because my parents moved me to another small town in Russia, Vladimir, when I was just one year old, and that’s where I grew up.

According to my parents, I was very sick, and they had to leave. Now, I think that played a significant role in my life. The thing is, when you are born in a place where it’s minus 60 degrees Celsius and polar bears roam the streets, it leaves a mark. Something happened to me there—I’m not entirely sure what—but something for sure.

I know that place is called the Snow of the White Sun. It’s pure, beautiful, and terribly cold. When I get the chance, I definitely want to go back there. They say you can only reach it by helicopter, which makes it even more fascinating.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Three years ago, I found myself in America and decided to stay. I had been here twice before this trip, and something always told me that this was my place.

It’s not the typical belief that America is where dreams come true or that I’ll become famous here, and so on. It’s about the feeling. My great passion is filmmaking, but I can only do it when I feel that it’s the right place. In America, everything told me this was it. The signs, the smells, the people, the energy, the transportation—everything said yes. So I stayed.

This is my first lesson: I need to create where I fully feel that it’s the right place. Here and now, I constantly check if I am in the right place.

My strong and rich creative background has instilled in me a desire to create. It doesn’t matter what or under what conditions I find myself, financially speaking. This desire drove me from the very beginning of my journey in America. I just started filming with my phone, shooting a lot, shooting poorly, but it didn’t matter. I had to do it. And this is my second lesson: it’s a great joy to find something you can do endlessly, for an indefinite long period, without stopping or betraying that passion.

When I moved from New York to Los Angeles, challenges began because it’s a completely different city, like a different country, with different rules and rhythms. The only thing that stayed the same was the language. In Los Angeles, I finally decided to focus solely on filmmaking. The lesson was to stop and tell myself that I no longer wanted to waste my time on anything else—I had to film.

I started actively managing my Instagram, created a course on mobile filmmaking, and the first clients began to appear. It was a magical time because there were few concerns and more and more work that I wanted to do was coming in. Instagram is a great network if used correctly.

Thus, a year and a half passed. People started recognizing me and recommending me. A reputation developed, along with new connections.

The turning point came with personal events, but it’s important to mention them because they were the catalyst for me to start making films. Perhaps this was a way to drown out these events. Honestly, I don’t know exactly how it happened, but a large team came together. A cinematographer, sound engineer, lighting, musician, and many others who simply believed in the project. This period of filming was done without money, no one was paid, and perhaps I’m most proud of that moment—making so many people believe in the idea without any financial backing. Since then, I’ve felt this power within me. Something very strong opened up to me. Maybe it’s called confidence, or perhaps a fundamental realization that I can create something truly worthwhile. This is my third lesson.

There were many difficulties, mostly related to living beyond just filmmaking. It was a challenging time. We overcame it by creating the production company CapeditFilm and began taking on larger projects, including commercials, Instagram management, music videos, and more. But the strength is in the team. we became one entity, and all the problems we faced along the way were and are solved together.

I would like to later share this story with the world in the form of a film. I’m confident it can inspire many to start doing something of their own, something special.

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.
I think I’d start from the very beginning. Since I experienced all the memories with my heart, I can talk about them with the right feeling.

So, the first stop would be a bench. I didn’t know where to sleep on my first night, and I found a bench on Hollywood Boulevard. I didn’t know what this place was, and it turned out to be the Hollywood Pavilion Stage 12. This street leads directly to the Hollywood sign. I didn’t know that either, I only saw it in the morning. This is how I would show the most famous spot in Los Angeles: the Hollywood sign.

Next, we’d drive through Los Feliz, where I used to ride my bike delivering food. I love that area, we’d stop at Starbucks. I really like how the sunlight streams into the building there.

We’d then drive through Glendale and stop by Pacific Park. There’s an absolute feeling of being in an American movie, as young people play baseball there. We spent a lot of time there.And of course, Forest Lawn—I’m not sure how to describe my awe of that place. I had never seen anything like it, and most importantly, it gave me the realization that I was now living in a different world. It made a huge impression on me.

After that, I’d take us down Melrose Avenue to the ocean. I have a few saved spots on my map. These are my power spots, not very famous but incredibly beautiful. In Malibu and Manhattan Beach. We’d definitely stop by Point Dume.

Once, I decided to ride my bike from Glendale to the ocean while delivering food, and I accidentally ended up at UCLA. It’s another power spot where I felt that I was still young and had so much more to learn. That’s where I decided to go to college to study the language. It was a magical time.

And certainly, more things would come up along the way. I’ve shared the key moments of my routes in LA.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Honestly, my entire creative journey has been shaped by people, art, films, music, and books.

I studied at the Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute, a prestigious theater school in Moscow. There, I met amazing teachers. Even before attending the institute, I played in the play *Nostalgia for Reality*, which was performed at the Adelaide Fringe Festival in Australia, with incredibly talented people who taught me the craft and how to approach it. They gave me the belief that I could create.

I want to express my deep gratitude to my teacher, Alexey Rubinstein, a film and theater director, scriptwriter, and producer. He found me in a huge city among many talented young actors and, most importantly, believed in me. Everything I can do now is thanks to him, and the way I perceive art is also thanks to him. Alexey played a key role in my creative journey, but of course, there are many others I want to mention. They are worthy, talented, educated, and intelligent people.

Emilia Savelyeva, Denis Filimonov, Anna Markovna Brusser, my artistic director at the institute, Anna Dubrovskaya. And of course, the young partners with whom I performed in plays, created sketches, and shared the stage.

A special thanks to Claudio De Malin, an Italian director who offered a new perspective on approaching the craft. I was fortunate to participate in the Italian Arts Festival and later perform in his play. The knowledge of Commedia dell’arte masks helped me approach the profession from an unexpected angle.

I could talk about films, books, and music endlessly.
I think we’ll revisit this topic again.
As you can see, I am made of other people, and I am happy that each of them is an incredible professional in their field.

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

Image Credits
Olga Pankova
Olga Frank