Nikita Lavretski

Directing

Nikita Lavretski

Born 1994-01-17 · Minsk, Belarus

Nikita Lavretski (1994, Minsk, Belarus) is “the most interesting gagman of the invisible Belarusian scene” (per Cahiers du Cinema). His debut feature “Belarusian Psycho” (2015) won the Best Belarusian Film Award at Minsk International Film Festival Listapad. In 2018, he completed a master's degree in film studies at Belarusian State Academy of Arts. Since 2020, his dissident movies, blending fiction and nonfiction, screened at ArtDocFest, DAFilms, Filmadrid and Doclisboa, with “A Date in Minsk” winning the International Competition at the latter festival. His writing on cinema and TV has appeared in “Iskusstvo Kino”, “Afisha”, and “Outskirts”.

Acting credits

Nikita Lavretski poster
7.0

A cycle of mundane violence, lust for art, and existential dread—all chronicled in an unconventional self-titled docu-horror by Nikita Lavretski, who violently edits lo-fi footage of himself from age 0 to age 16.

Nikita Lavretski

2019

Drama poster
7.0

Three directors make a movie about the events of their past week. Relationships, work, and day-to-day personal struggle—the minute details still fresh on their minds—are shown with unseen crystal clarity that challenges the very notion of dramatic fiction.

Drama

2019

A Date in Minsk poster
NR

Nikita and Volha have been maintaining a dysfunctional relationship for the past 8 years. In the following movie they play fictional Nikita and Volha who have only just met. Can anything be started anew at the end of history?

A Date in Minsk

2022

Lyosha Lyashenko: Idrak's Underpants poster
NR

Lyosha Lyshenko, the enfant terrible of Russian-language stand-up, tells jokes about maniacs, the rapper Husky, and Idrak Mirzalizade's underpants, but mainly he performs tricks, dances, and stunts.

Lyosha Lyashenko: Idrak's Underpants

2021

TO RUTH: poster
NR

A psychological thriller telling the story of a hikikomori obsessed with a female vlogger. The screenplay is based on the now-deleted blog by "quickpaws321", a man obsessed with Rose from the randytaylor69 channel.

TO RUTH:

2012

Poetry poster
NR

An ex-couple who write poems experience a curious synchronicity online.

Poetry

2015

Filmtelligence poster
NR

The shy Ruslan Romanov and the brash Lev Zaretski, who previously launched a film review outlet in KINOMANTRA and a moviemaking company in CINEMAGIC, now reveal their AI startup FILMTELLIGENCE with ludicrous results. No generative AI was used in the making of this work.

Filmtelligence

2026

The Other Side poster
NR

A scruffy man in his mid-forties finds in his mailbox a mysterious envelope with an audio cassette in it. His son's voice can be heard on the tape, telling a terrifying story of his life in the cursed Volynka neighborhood. This is how the father learns that the son has gathered a group to fight against the "possessed".

The Other Side

2024

Sad Music poster
5.5

A short documentary by Nikita Lavretski.

Sad Music

2017

Every Day Love poster
NR

Simple story about two Belarusian young people in love.

Every Day Love

2014

Self-Portrait at Thirty poster
NR

The director paints a self-portrait while feeling sad, using the modern paintbrush of TikTok face masks.

Self-Portrait at Thirty

2026

Idrak Mirzalizade: This Never Happened poster
NR

A complete chronicle of how Idrak Mirzalizade wanted to film a concert, but everything went terribly wrong.

Idrak Mirzalizade: This Never Happened

2025

Belarusian Psycho poster
6.7

A self-proclaimed videographer prodigy sets out to lose his virginity as the 21st birthday present to himself. Not only does he manage to persuade a female acquaintance and two of her friends to come to his dacha, he makes sure they watch a retrospective of his work, and his seduction dances, in full. A terrifying night lies ahead of them.

Belarusian Psycho

2015

Magicians of Belarus poster
NR

Magicians in Minsk can be found performing magic tricks every day. What made them choose this career path?

Magicians of Belarus

2012

Pochemu zakrylas Galereya 12? poster
NR

A documentary about the closure of a very strange gallery of modern art, which been exists about two months in the center of Minsk in the spring of 2015 and attracted an average of 0-4 visitors per day. In the role of the founder of the gallery — actionist artist Dmitry Veleskevich.

Pochemu zakrylas Galereya 12?

2015

The Release poster
NR

A short comedy documentary about my brother's short career in actionism.

The Release

2021

Kinomantra poster
NR

A pair of misguided cinephiles—the shy Ruslan Romanov and the brash Lev Zaretski—launch a film review outlet.

Kinomantra

2016

A Few Scenes with My Girlfriend Olechka Kavaliova poster
5.0

A found footage documentary about a volatile young filmmaking couple.

A Few Scenes with My Girlfriend Olechka Kavaliova

2016

Cinemagic poster
8.0

Aspiring directors Lev Zaretski (a sadist) and Ruslan Romanov (an anime MC) will show you how to properly write a screenplay; cast actors; do a film shoot; and answer questions from annoying film festival attendees.

Cinemagic

2017

Amerykan Boy poster
NR

Maxim, yearning for the departing image of old Minsk, meets his friend Yanka, whom he had not seen for a year while he was studying in America ...

Amerykan Boy

2015

Neil in Love poster
NR

A friendzoned teen deals with rejection by felling trees with his bare hands.

Neil in Love

2011

The Murder on Alibegova Street poster
6.0

The story of a doomed polycule from Minsk.

The Murder on Alibegova Street

2022

The Bear's Lair poster
1.0

A self-portrait in winter. The director is taking a short rest among the key locations of his life. He reminisces about places forgotten, years gone by, and friends gone away.

The Bear's Lair

2022

Getting Caught by the Rain poster
NR

After getting caught in the summer rain, the director hides under the edge of an abandoned shed. A feeling of being "in the moment" follows.

Getting Caught by the Rain

2014

Behind the camera

Nikita Lavretski poster
7.0

A cycle of mundane violence, lust for art, and existential dread—all chronicled in an unconventional self-titled docu-horror by Nikita Lavretski, who violently edits lo-fi footage of himself from age 0 to age 16.

Nikita Lavretski

2019

Nikita Lavretski poster
7.0

A cycle of mundane violence, lust for art, and existential dread—all chronicled in an unconventional self-titled docu-horror by Nikita Lavretski, who violently edits lo-fi footage of himself from age 0 to age 16.

Nikita Lavretski

2019

Nikita Lavretski poster
7.0

A cycle of mundane violence, lust for art, and existential dread—all chronicled in an unconventional self-titled docu-horror by Nikita Lavretski, who violently edits lo-fi footage of himself from age 0 to age 16.

Nikita Lavretski

2019

Drama poster
7.0

Three directors make a movie about the events of their past week. Relationships, work, and day-to-day personal struggle—the minute details still fresh on their minds—are shown with unseen crystal clarity that challenges the very notion of dramatic fiction.

Drama

2019

Drama poster
7.0

Three directors make a movie about the events of their past week. Relationships, work, and day-to-day personal struggle—the minute details still fresh on their minds—are shown with unseen crystal clarity that challenges the very notion of dramatic fiction.

Drama

2019

Drama poster
7.0

Three directors make a movie about the events of their past week. Relationships, work, and day-to-day personal struggle—the minute details still fresh on their minds—are shown with unseen crystal clarity that challenges the very notion of dramatic fiction.

Drama

2019

A Date in Minsk poster
NR

Nikita and Volha have been maintaining a dysfunctional relationship for the past 8 years. In the following movie they play fictional Nikita and Volha who have only just met. Can anything be started anew at the end of history?

A Date in Minsk

2022

A Date in Minsk poster
NR

Nikita and Volha have been maintaining a dysfunctional relationship for the past 8 years. In the following movie they play fictional Nikita and Volha who have only just met. Can anything be started anew at the end of history?

A Date in Minsk

2022

A Date in Minsk poster
NR

Nikita and Volha have been maintaining a dysfunctional relationship for the past 8 years. In the following movie they play fictional Nikita and Volha who have only just met. Can anything be started anew at the end of history?

A Date in Minsk

2022

Far Away and Not Soon poster
4.5

Two young men are traveling through countryside on train and on foot. A night of paranoid ramblings and melancholic flashbacks reveals their reasons and underlines the tension.

Far Away and Not Soon

2012

Far Away and Not Soon poster
4.5

Two young men are traveling through countryside on train and on foot. A night of paranoid ramblings and melancholic flashbacks reveals their reasons and underlines the tension.

Far Away and Not Soon

2012

Sasha's Hell poster
7.5

When rising rapper Oli finally meets his online collaborator Sasha, their weekend of hanging out turns from sweet to painfully awkward to terrifying. An underground live gig, a strange encounter with a goth girl, and finally a literal descent into hell are all captured on grainy VHS tape.

Sasha's Hell

2019

Sasha's Hell poster
7.5

When rising rapper Oli finally meets his online collaborator Sasha, their weekend of hanging out turns from sweet to painfully awkward to terrifying. An underground live gig, a strange encounter with a goth girl, and finally a literal descent into hell are all captured on grainy VHS tape.

Sasha's Hell

2019

Lyosha Lyashenko: Idrak's Underpants poster
NR

Lyosha Lyshenko, the enfant terrible of Russian-language stand-up, tells jokes about maniacs, the rapper Husky, and Idrak Mirzalizade's underpants, but mainly he performs tricks, dances, and stunts.

Lyosha Lyashenko: Idrak's Underpants

2021

Love & Partnership poster
6.8

Igor and Sveta visit Igor's hometown. Igor wants nothing more than to spend the weekend recording a fun vlog with his girlfriend when a talk with his mom uncovers more of a pressing problem in his relationship with Sveta.

Love & Partnership

2016

Love & Partnership poster
6.8

Igor and Sveta visit Igor's hometown. Igor wants nothing more than to spend the weekend recording a fun vlog with his girlfriend when a talk with his mom uncovers more of a pressing problem in his relationship with Sveta.

Love & Partnership

2016

Love & Partnership poster
6.8

Igor and Sveta visit Igor's hometown. Igor wants nothing more than to spend the weekend recording a fun vlog with his girlfriend when a talk with his mom uncovers more of a pressing problem in his relationship with Sveta.

Love & Partnership

2016

TO RUTH: poster
NR

A psychological thriller telling the story of a hikikomori obsessed with a female vlogger. The screenplay is based on the now-deleted blog by "quickpaws321", a man obsessed with Rose from the randytaylor69 channel.

TO RUTH:

2012

TO RUTH: poster
NR

A psychological thriller telling the story of a hikikomori obsessed with a female vlogger. The screenplay is based on the now-deleted blog by "quickpaws321", a man obsessed with Rose from the randytaylor69 channel.

TO RUTH:

2012

Loud Music poster
NR

A lonely man contemplates the trouble of meeting girls in a bar.

Loud Music

2013

Loud Music poster
NR

A lonely man contemplates the trouble of meeting girls in a bar.

Loud Music

2013

Poetry poster
NR

An ex-couple who write poems experience a curious synchronicity online.

Poetry

2015

Poetry poster
NR

An ex-couple who write poems experience a curious synchronicity online.

Poetry

2015

Filmtelligence poster
NR

The shy Ruslan Romanov and the brash Lev Zaretski, who previously launched a film review outlet in KINOMANTRA and a moviemaking company in CINEMAGIC, now reveal their AI startup FILMTELLIGENCE with ludicrous results. No generative AI was used in the making of this work.

Filmtelligence

2026