Maxim Bogdanov - Sharkman was born on August 29, 2002 in Moscow, Russia, the son of Deborah Sharkman (née Bogdanova), an architect whose family was originally from Russia. He grew up in the neighborhoods of a small suburb of Moscow, which would later serve as inspiration for several of his films. Bogdanov is pursuing a BA in Filmmaking in 2025, and plans to pursue an MA in the same field at Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS). During this time, he has directed numerous award-winning short films and directed his first feature film, Jacob Knight Rides a Rainbow (2021). He served as editor on the feature film Uar (2022) and received critical and popular acclaim for The Limits to Growth (2024), his first attempt at working with chimpanzees and his edgy social experiment with actors and regular cast member Alexander Gritsyuk. In 2021, "Where Elephants Go" (2022) took part in the 73rd Berlin Film Festival, was selected for screening at SAA, as well as many other film festivals around the world. Bogdanov shoots his first documentary film, "The Monkey Told You Everything."

. As a child, he was surrounded by prototypes of many characters who would later become the heroes of his films.At first he wanted to become a restaurant chef among other professions, but later his restless passion for cinema led him to enroll in film arts courses at the Italian Film Academy for teenagers in 2017 and later in 2020 at the St. Petersburg University of Film and Television, where he graduated influenced by master Victor Vasiliev, a very inspiring television professor and director, a leading figure in cinematography who helped create what would eventually become his first short films and his new debut feature film, A Horse Named Claude (2024), Oz and Magicians", which are now in production. While at university, he discovered European art cinema, the French New Wave, as well as classic American genre films, which he first encountered as a child, making short films that began to win awards. He received his first prize at the age of 14 at the Italian Teenage Film Academy for the film "The Sea." Even then, Italian teachers noticed his talent and passion for filmmaking. Then he edited the feature films "Cassavetes" (2022) and "Dostoevsky" (2022).

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Maxim Bogdanov

Director

Writer

Actor

Editor

Script and Continuity Department