POETIC VISION ACROSS CINEMATIC BOARDERS

@VeronikaBolotina

When asked to describe her work, Veronika Bolotina defines it with a mischievous smile: the kind of art that makes you laugh when you probably shouldn’t. A filmmaker and comedian born in Belarus and now a naturalized German citizen, she creates films and music videos that witty, socially resonant, and full of surprising perspectives. 

At 18, Veronika left her hometown to embark on a solo journey across Europe in search of her artistic voice. Along the way, she studied Art and Design in Minsk, pursued a BA in Media Design in Germany with support from the Friedrich Ebert Scholarship, and continued with an MA in London under the DAAD Scholarship. The unconventional path shaped her approach to storytelling, teaching her to merge mediums and seamlessly blend visual, musical and narrative elements in innovative ways.

Veronika’s feature debut, I Can’t Change Anything, received script development support from Hessen Film & Media, was selected for the Torino Lab and pitched at both the Max Ophüls Film Festival and the European Film Market. Her short films and music videos have screened internationally at Comic-Con, Lichter Filmfest, FiSH Film Festival, Evolution Mallorca, and Interfilm Berlin. Her 16 mm documentary It’s Not For Me will premiere with Girls in Film, while her music video work has been highlighted in Promonews, Kaltblut and Shots Magazine. 

However, for Veronika, directing is never solitary. She is inspired by collaborations with scriptwriters, particularly those passionate about history - a subject she herself adores and continuously explores. One of her greatest ambitions is to direct a historical film or series written by a writer deeply immersed in the subject. Music also plays a central role in her creative practice. Drawing early inspiration from MTV’s narrative-driven videos and currently captivated by Florence and the Machine, Royal Blood, and Haim, also wishing to work with them someday, she seeks to interpret music visually, translating sound into story. Her current feature follows a female rock band whose singer possesses the power to project visions of the future onto her listeners - a gift she has long denied. “Directing is a synergy of many art forms, coming together to create something larger than the sum of its parts,” she reflects.

@VeronikaBolotina

Thriving in the space between preparation and spontaneity, Veronika immerses herself in films, series and shorts, studying how other creatives construct emotion and meaning. “It’s not about copying - it’s about analysing why a scene works and how it makes me feel afterward,” she explains. “I find many references in my head as I watch cinema a lot, and it’s funny because not everyone has this sort of memory’’. The unpredictability of shooting is equally compelling: “Filming is always a journey full of surprises. Sometimes I feel anxious, unsure of how things will turn out and, in the end, it’s different than expected - in the best way. It feels almost like the birth of a child - except that child is your project.”

Cinema has been a constant companion since childhood. Her parents filled the home with movies, from festive family traditions to late-night indie channel discoveries. Though she once dreamed of becoming an Olympic gymnast, scoliosis shifted her path — and cinema quietly became her true home. “Cinema was always there, waiting for me,” she reflects - both as a medium to understand the world and a space where she truly felt at home. Ultimately, with these reflections, Veronika hopes to create work that transcends borders. She dreams of a film her friends and family in Minsk could watch in a cinema with her parents beside her, sharing the joy she experienced as a child. ‘’But even more, I want to make a film that people can watch, and leave feeling better, uplifted, and inspired’’’- she mentions. Beyond personal fulfilment, she aims to make films that give audiences strength and hope - the same feelings she remembers from her earliest cinema visits.

Through her work, Veronika continues to navigate the intersections of story, music, and image with wit and originality, creating films that reveal the unexpected and illuminate the poetic in the everyday.

Follow Veronika’s work on Instagram at @veronikabolo and stay tuned for future features of Creative Intersect at @thecreativeintersect.