What is the best thing that I love about my work?

When I write a story I feel as if I actually live the lives of my characters. This opportunity to experience something I would never be able to do in reality is what inspires me the most in my job.

What is my idea of happiness?

For me, being happy means to be open-minded, to have fresh feelings and to look at the world with eyes wide open despite all troubles you may face in your life. Only this way it is possible to discover something new and exciting. It may be new places, people, books, films, activities – whatever you can imagine.

What is my greatest fear?

The thing that frightens me more than anything else is to end my life in loneliness. I am kind of an introvert, have certain problems at making connections with people and still didn’t create my own family. As for friends I already have and my relatives, it is inevitable that they also will pass away sooner or later.

What is the trait that I most deplore in myself?

I guess, it is the above-mentioned problems at making connections with people. If I don’t have something particular to ask beforehand, it is an entire task for me to start a conversation with a person I don’t know.

Which living persons in my profession do I most admire?

I write both for films and videogames. One day I would like to write a novel. I consider myself a writer in general. In this case, speaking of creative writing and storytelling on the whole, I most admire Dina Rubina. Her style, her profound knowledge of every subject she writes about, her plots, how hardworking she is – all of this is something beyond me.

What is my greatest extravagance?

I adore making people laugh. If there is a chance to joke and I clearly see that it will cheer somebody up, I may behave really childishly, not as a grown-up, adult man.

On what occasion would I lie?

I really have no idea. Maybe I would do so to protect somebody else. But actually I am extremely honest. There is an amazing Soviet movie about Baron Münchhausen where he says that he is famous not for flying to the moon but for never lying. This film struck me in my childhood and Münchhausen became one of my heroes.

What is the thing that I dislike the most in my work?

To prove my point of view. It happens sometimes that I am sure that my solution to some task is optimal or that I clearly see a mistake in somebody else’s work but the other author struggles to persuade me of the opposite. It takes so much energy to defend your own opinion! I’d prefer only to write but, unfortunately, when you work in a team situations like I have described are imminent. Moreover, a final result of an entire project may depend on in whose favor a decision will be made, your one or your opponent’s.

When and where was I the happiest in my work?

It was 2016 and I was standing on the very beginning of my path as a writer. Actress Natalia Zemtsova was looking for an author to write a screenplay based on her original idea and chose me among the other candidates. We used to meet in a Starbucks cafe in a shopping mall in the Northwest of Moscow to discuss a new version of the script. I was paid nothing since we had a hope to sell our story, launch the project and share the money. I was paid nothing but full of expectations and, even though we didn’t manage to shoot our film, I have never felt that uplifted afterwards.

If I could, what would I change about myself?

It is absolutely speculative but sometimes I wonder what my life would look like if I were born and grew up in another country. The thing is, according to my family’s legend, one of my great-grandmother’s sisters was married to an American diplomat and when the October Revolution and the Russian Civil War were unleashed they moved to the United States. I still don’t understand why the branch of my family I belong to didn’t follow them. Obviously, we lost track of them pretty soon but, anyway, even now we might have some distant relatives across the ocean. I even have an idea for a fiction book where I’d like to compare two waves of Russian emigration with a gap of a century between them. But at first I have to find this lost branch of my family and right now I don’t possess enough time and energy to do it.

What is my greatest achievement in work?

I suppose it is the “Know By Heart” video game developed by the “Ice-Pick Lodge” studio. It was the first comparatively big project I have written a story for. Even though there were circumstances that didn’t let me complete my work as perfectly as I wished and I am not completely content with the result, this game was nominated twice for the best narrative.

Where would I most like to live?

It depends on various factors. Speaking of job opportunities, it should be a country with an advanced film or game industry. I’d prefer either the United States or Japan, this choice is fairly predictable. But since I, as a writer, am able to work remotely I can live anywhere I want. I love islands so Iceland or New Zealand would work ideally for me. Australia also attracts me enormously.

What is my most treasured possession?

My memories, including those ones about the darkest moments of my life. They made me the person who I am now and I recollect them gratefully.

What is my most marked characteristic?

People say regularly that I resemble Vladimir Putin in his youth. Once I was buying a cup of fresh orange juice in the medina of Tangier when the salesman asked me: “Are you from Russia?” I was puzzled: “How did you guess?” He answered: “You look like Putin”.

What is my most inspirational location, in my city?

I spent the last year in Almaty but was born and grew up in Moscow so let me speak about it. In Moscow I always liked to wander round tiny, almost deserted lanes in the center of the city. It seems to me that the buildings there remember great Russian writers of the past and this vibe inspires me. I know these places so well that it never was a problem for me to get my bearings without a map. My friends, whom I liked to take with me on my walks once in a while, used to sneer that I have a satnav inside of my head.

What is my favorite place to eat and drink, in my city?

I tend to drop by into the nearest joint during my strolls and, therefore, don’t have favorite places of this kind but there is a memorable one. It is “Buloshnaya”, what can be translated as “Bakery”, on the corner of Lyalin and Bolshoy Kazyonnyy lanes in Moscow. Apart from everything else, a pianist used to perform in this extremely cozy cafe, if my memory doesn’t deceive me, on Tuesdays and Fridays playing live music.

What books influenced my life and how?

I used to hate literature at school and the first fiction book I read after enrolling to the university, which was technical, by the way, was Carlos Castaneda’s “The Teachings of Don Juan”. It aroused my thirst for books. Also at university I discovered poems by Joseph Brodsky and his essays but what has stunned me even more was the story of his life which alone reads as a novel. It sowed into me a desire to become a screenwriter and to make a film out of the poet’s biography. Another book that influenced my decision to obtain another profession is “The Flood Invades My Spirit” by Kenzaburō Ōe which I’d really like to adapt into a screenplay. Dina Rubina, whom I’ve already mentioned and whose complete bibliography I’ve read from cover to cover, showed me an invaluable example of how a writer can combine captivating plots, impeccable language, profound themes and an eye for details in their works. “Wind, Sand and Stars” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is my guide book to humanism and Tao Te Ching is a superb collection of hints for everyday life.

You Only Die Once. What music would I listen on my last day?

I’m not sure what music I myself would listen to but I have an idea what music I would like to be played at my funeral. It is “Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life” from the ending of “Monty Python’s Life of Brian”. I want people to laugh even at this glum moment.

Who is my hero or heroine in fiction?

Not to repeat the name of Münchhausen, I would say that my hero is Fox Mulder from “The X-Files”. The strength of his belief in his work, his devotion to it won me over.

Who are my heroes and heroines in real life?

My uncle and my grandfather. In my old age I’d like to look back at my life and to see it as full of events as theirs. It is enough to say that my grandfather has spent two seasons in the Antarctic at a research station. As for my uncle, he grew up in a tiny town on the Kola Peninsula, studied in Saint-Petersburg and Moscow, became a historian and then used to be a professor in residence at different institutions in the United States, participate in international conferences and run surveys at archives abroad. Speaking of famous personalities, my heroes are Albert Einstein and Richard Feynman. Power of their imagination is beyond my own imagination and the diversity of talents of the second scientist amazes me even more.

Which movie would I recommend to see once in a lifetime?

“Forrest Gump”. It makes me cry every time I watch it. Either I am too sensitive or the film is so touching and kind.

What role play stories in my life and work?

I am a scriptwriter. They are my fuel, my job and the passion of my whole life.

What do the words “You are the storyteller of your own life” mean to me?

I tend to construct situations that would resemble cinema or, in other words, would be as impressive. Sometimes I get into such situations even without making any effort.

Who is my greatest fan, sponsor, partner in crime?

An entire range of people is important to me. There is no point comparing them to each other, who is the greatest of them, but, as I have to point out a single one, let it be Denis Nerobeev, originally a documentary filmmaker whom I want to shoot a number of feature films based on my screenplays.

Which people or companies would I like to work with?

Since I am a writer both in film and video game industries the range of companies I would like to work with is quite wide. I would be really excited to write a series for HBO or Netflix or to get involved in developing some internationally renowned game titles. To be specific, I would name “Dontnod Entertainment”, “Naughty Dog” and “Ninja Theory” whose “Life Is Strange”, “The Last of Us” and “Hellblade” franchises respectively are among the most impressive stories I’ve ever seen. Speaking of particular people, it would be amazing if someday I could collaborate with Hideo Kojima.

What project am I looking forward to work on?

All my screenplays are precious to me but, as I’ve already said, I was led into the profession of a scriptwriter by two particular goals to achieve which are a biopic of Joseph Brodsky and an adaptation of “The Flood Invades My Spirit”. Unfortunately, both of these ideas are not original and based either on true events or other intellectual property that hinders me from launching these projects so far. Apart from them, about a decade ago I was deeply touched by the story of Sigurjón Brink, an Icelandic musician whose dream was to perform on Eurovision and who died during the national selection for this contest that, in its turn, made his friends go there instead of him so as to fulfill his dream. Speaking of my own ideas, I have three favorite ones. One of them is a comedy about a sleepwalking girl who is capable of coming round after her fits literally anywhere on the globe. Another story is a thriller revolving around a young SS officer who is hunting down lamed-vavniks but falls in love with a Jewish girl and changes his life. The last idea explores an alternative world which in the middle of the second millennium was conquered not by the Europeans but, on the contrary, by the native Americans: aztecs, mayans and incas.

Where can you see me or my work?

You can play “Know By Heart”, a videogame I have written a story for: https://store.steampowered.com/app/685670/_/

Another option is to read my synopses: https://www.stage32.com/profile/1083032/scripts_screenplays Also I am keen on photography: https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_wide_sky/albums/

What do the words “Passion Never Retires” mean to me?

I believe that people don’t age at heart and can experience as strong feelings in their old age as in their youth. And what is the origin of creativity if not our emotions?

Which creative professionals should Peter invite to tell their story?

Max Rudenko, a documentary filmmaker, a director of “A Portrait on the Background of Mountains”: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10597313/

How can you contact me?

You can find me in social networks or send a letter to my email address: https://www.facebook.com/dmitriy.kapin https://www.instagram.com/the_broad_sky https://linkedin.com/in/dmitriy-kapin-02806174 dmk2084@gmail.com