Meet Ivan Nevesenko | Writer, Director, Producer

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

Hi Ivan, why did you pursue a creative career?
I can’t say it was a conscious choice. When I was eight years old, I wrote a book about a boy who got stuck in a world of failed children’s drawings — it was essentially a horror story. My family helped me publish a small print run of that book.

Since then, I’ve never stopped writing horrors, constantly exploring different formats and styles. This naturally led me to screenwriting and, eventually, to directing. In all these 20 years, I’ve never once asked myself “Why?” — creating is, perhaps, simply an integral part of me, a natural form of my existence. Any attempt to link my work to anything other than creativity would mean going against my own nature.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I believe the most crucial quality is the ability to remain honest with oneself, especially in moments of greatest vulnerability. It means not harboring illusions about your place in reality — truly accepting your own mistakes, learning from them, letting go of the past, and consistently moving forward, from one idea to the next. It means resisting the temptation to give up by finding convenient excuses — instead, simply continuing to do what you do.

The career of a filmmaker is not a sprint; it’s an grueling marathon. When the ultimate goal seems out of reach, I simply focus on the very next step — asking myself, “What can I do here and now to bring myself closer to that goal?”

It’s precisely this approach that allowed me to progress from shooting amateur videos on an iPhone and creating music videos for lesser-known artists in my homeland, all the way to working on my first full-scale feature debut film here in Hollywood.

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.
First off, I’d definitely recommend visiting all the local art museums — LACMA, The Broad, and the Getty Center, with its insane views of LA and unique architecture.

Secondly, we’d explore all of my wife’s and my favorite restaurants and cafes, a list that took us years to curate! For lunch, we’d hit “Butcher, Baker, Cappuccino Maker,” “Destroyer” in Culver City, “Gjusta” on Venice (followed by a bike ride from Venice to Santa Monica), and “Nido Cafe” in Silver Lake.

For dinner, “Great White” on Melrose is a must — they have one of the best burgers in LA. For pizza, there’s “Pizzana”, and for Asian food lovers, “Anajak Thai”. We’d also go to “Laki Ramen” — it’s truly the best ramen in the city, based on my good friend and neighbor Nikki’s recipe. And if it’s a once-in-a-lifetime celebratory dinner, the tasting menu at “Vespertine” absolutely blew me away with its avant-garde cuisine, first-class service, and liminal space atmosphere.

Beyond the food, I’d take my friends to a midnight Friday screening of a maestro Tarantino film at his cozy New Beverly Cinema. We’d drive out to watch the sunset at El Matador and/or at the Griffith Observatory for iconic views. I’d also show them one of the world’s best botanical gardens — Huntington Gardens, with its incredible cactus collection. And, of course, I’d invite them for a game of tennis at Vermont Canyon, boasting an amazing view of the Hollywood Hills.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would dedicate my shoutout to my late grandfather — Vitaliy Rozenko — a lawyer, philosopher, writer, artist, and simply a boundlessly generous and humble person. He instilled in me a love and respect for creativity and literature, supported all my endeavors, and was a mentor and a friend to me.

Website: https://katascopefilms.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soda_9000/reels/?locale=no&hl=en

Other: https://vimeo.com/soda9000

Image Credits
Oleksandra Nevesenko