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Logline

Three worshipers are selected to endlessly pray to a mysterious plain Column inside an empty closed hall, but after years of no result, one of them stops and questions their bizarre experience. As he starts to wonder if their never-ending practice will ever pay off, their dynamics escalate and reach the point of no return. Each worshipper needs to decide whether they should leave or keep praying in hopes of finally being rewarded.

Synopsis

A purely original, philosophical, and heartfelt story about devotion, “Iconic” is a 43-minute short film directed by Konstantin Pivovar. The story has humorous elements and starts off quite innocently, but then it slowly molds into something completely grotesque, shifting away from the “comedy” in its name. It takes place in an unfamiliar setting, staying in its own lane that moves between suspense and irony.

Grugan wakes up and sees that everything is the same as the day before: he and two other people, Brud and Enk, are alone in a spacious sun-lit hall. There’s absolutely nothing there, except the Column. Three of them have been willingly praying to it for two years, without breaks. But for the first time, something feels different and Grugan asks others about their purpose. Grugan and Brud get into an argument about the right ways to pray. Grugan suggests stopping praying, but Brud is reluctant to give up. As the day goes on, Brud begins to lose his patience and descends into despair as his familiar routine has been disrupted. All three contemplate leaving the hall.
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Konstantin Pivovar – Writer/Director
Self-taught Belarusian writer and director, passionate about directing honest one-of-a-kind stories that can withstand the test of time. He is fond of taking risks and digging deep. His previous short films include a philosophical drama “Breadcrumbs”, a visual dream “My Train Leaves tomorrow at 7”, and “Paintless”. He is inspired by literature, and especially absurdist authors like Franz Kafka.

His shorts have collected over 50 official selections in international film festivals. Konstantin bases his storytelling on strong authentic performances and aspires to discover up-and-coming actors that are willing to step into unknown territory and leave cliches behind. He is fond of collaborative creative process and values a united long-term vision shared with his team.

Constrained by the limits of short format and resources, Konstantin challenged himself to write dialogue-driven scripts that can still feel realistic, complete, and captivating despite a stripped, minimalist setting. As for long format, Konstantin has developed several scripts for features and TV-series in a variety of sub genres, including thrillers and comedies, but his main focus is on dramas. He never stops writing, coming up with fascinating premises, and polishing projects into the best state possible. He is based in Los Angeles, CA.

Lilia Le Dieu – Producer/Co-Director
Vietnamese filmmaker from Belarus. After graduating with a MA degree in Film Production from New York Film Academy (LA) in 2019, Lilia has produced short films, music videos, and commercial content. Lilia is experienced in development, raising/arranging finance, locations, casting, overseeing film production & distribution, and hiring the crew. She is involved in all the stages to support Konstantin’s vision, from development to promoting, covering creative and project management aspects. Her projects were selected at Austin Film Festival, Sweden Film Awards, TIFF, Beverly Hills Film Festival, LA Shorts. She is passionate about pushing the envelope, discovering talent, and creating pictures that have a recognizable vision.

Luísa Dalé Silva – Director of Photography
Luísa is a Brazilian-born cinematographer with a passion for storytelling. She holds a degree in History from the Universidade de Brasília and studied Cinematography at the Escuela Superior de Cinema y Audiovisual de la Cataluña (ESCAC) in Barcelona, where she honed her craft. Luísa has recently graduated from the MFA in Cinematography at the American Film Institute (AFI) in Los Angeles and is a mentee in the ASC Vision Mentorship Program. She was one of the 12 selected cinematographers for the Terre di Cinema 2023 program, sponsored by the Autori Italiani Cinema (AIC) and the German Society of Cinematography (BVK).Luísa is drawn to projects that delve into the complexity of characters through simple stories. She has shot two features, over twenty short films, and two documentaries. She lives in LA and is fluent in Portuguese, English, Spanish, French, and Italian.

Andrey Dergachev – Supervising Sound Editor
One of the most acclaimed sound editors and composers from Russia, based in Vancouver. His portfolio includes over 60 narrative titles, but Andrey is mostly known for his close collaboration with a Golden Globe-winning and Oscars-nominated director Andrey Zvyagintsev, having worked as a sound editor and composer on five of his feature films. His latest feature Achrome, directed by Maria Ignatenko, got official selection at Rotterdam Film Festival 2022. In 2018 Andrey received a Golden Reel Award from the Motion Picture Sound Editors for his work on Loveless, a Cannes-winning drama. He also won a Best Composer award for Izgnanie (2007) from Russian Guild of Film Critics. Andrey is known for his attention to detail and selectivity of projects. Previously he has worked with Konstantin & Lilia on sound of “Breadcrumbs” and “Paintless”.

Juan Luqui – Composer
Juan Luqui is composer from Buenos Aires, Argentina. A multifaceted musical artist who expresses himself as a composer, guitarist, music producer and performer. He graduated from Berklee College of Music under a full scholarship in 2015, moved to LA, and since then has been the apprentice and collaborator of Gustavo Santaolalla and Anibal Kerpel. Working alongside them, Luqui has contributed to soundtracks of Netflix’s Narcos: Mexico, Netflix’s The House, HBO’s The Last of Us, The Last of Us 2 (Video Game), A Life in 12 Bars, Apple TV’s Finch, NatGeo Wild Life, Netflix’s Dear Child, amongst many others. In June 2023 he performed The Last of Us soundtrack with Gustavo Santaolalla at the legendary Hollywood Bowl in front of 15,000 people.

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Contact

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