My name is David Astermun.
I work at the intersection of large-scale themes, emotionally resonant storytelling, and a deep sense of human presence.
To me, form matters - but only when it carries truth.
I want to be real - and still captivate.
To speak with clarity and respect, both to the audience and to the message itself.
I believe in art that doesn’t distract from life -
but helps us face it.
I build teams where craft meets sincerity.
Where precision matters — and so does pulse.
For me, a story isn’t born from an assignment.
It comes from necessity.
From what needs to be said -
to myself, to others, to the world.
Behind me — work with major brands, short films, and a feature.
But what matters most is not the portfolio - it’s the path.
A path where creativity is not just content creation,
but a way of saying something that truly matters.
I work at the intersection of large-scale themes, emotionally resonant storytelling, and a deep sense of human presence.
To me, form matters - but only when it carries truth.
I want to be real - and still captivate.
To speak with clarity and respect, both to the audience and to the message itself.
I believe in art that doesn’t distract from life -
but helps us face it.
I build teams where craft meets sincerity.
Where precision matters — and so does pulse.
For me, a story isn’t born from an assignment.
It comes from necessity.
From what needs to be said -
to myself, to others, to the world.
Behind me — work with major brands, short films, and a feature.
But what matters most is not the portfolio - it’s the path.
A path where creativity is not just content creation,
but a way of saying something that truly matters.
WHAT IM BUILDING
These are the projects I’m working on right now.
They carry my voice, my focus, my choice.
They carry my voice, my focus, my choice.
Short film.
Pre-production. (Q3 2025)
A young boy asks himself the most primal questions:
Who am I? Why was I born into this world?
And then... he understands.
Pre-production. (Q3 2025)
A young boy asks himself the most primal questions:
Who am I? Why was I born into this world?
And then... he understands.
The Message
Maria
Feature-length sci-fi thriller.
Development. (Q3 2025 — Q1 2026)
A cynical corporate security agent is sent to interrogate an unlicensed android — Maria — suspected of murdering his wife.
As he digs deeper, he begins to uncover a conspiracy…
and realizes she may be the only one who could’ve saved her.
Development. (Q3 2025 — Q1 2026)
A cynical corporate security agent is sent to interrogate an unlicensed android — Maria — suspected of murdering his wife.
As he digs deeper, he begins to uncover a conspiracy…
and realizes she may be the only one who could’ve saved her.
The Sails
Feature-length drama.
Development. (Q4 2025 — Q2 2026)
In a post-apocalyptic world, a broken recon officer rescues a boy —
and gets pulled into a journey with a group of children heading for a mythical rescue ship.
Along the way, he discovers that their dream has become his last hope.
And the meaning of his life.
Development. (Q4 2025 — Q2 2026)
In a post-apocalyptic world, a broken recon officer rescues a boy —
and gets pulled into a journey with a group of children heading for a mythical rescue ship.
Along the way, he discovers that their dream has become his last hope.
And the meaning of his life.
A filmmaking community with over 7700 members.
This chat began as a space to help myself and others freely choose collaborators.
Now it's become a hub —
a space of strength that brings together 7700+ directors, producers, actors, screenwriters, and more.
This chat began as a space to help myself and others freely choose collaborators.
Now it's become a hub —
a space of strength that brings together 7700+ directors, producers, actors, screenwriters, and more.
Platform
MANIFESTO
I'm drawn to the human being at the edge —
when the old no longer works,
and the new has yet to emerge.
I explore the movement from isolation to awakening.
Themes of solitude, decay, memory, presence —
and most of all, the return to self —
are central to my work.
I’m interested in the space between genres:
where drama meets philosophy,
sci-fi crosses into reality,
and poetry fuses with flesh.
I believe cinema is more than entertainment —
it can be a process of recognition.
I look for a pulse, not a formula.
A voice, not noise.
Openness, not posture.
when the old no longer works,
and the new has yet to emerge.
I explore the movement from isolation to awakening.
Themes of solitude, decay, memory, presence —
and most of all, the return to self —
are central to my work.
I’m interested in the space between genres:
where drama meets philosophy,
sci-fi crosses into reality,
and poetry fuses with flesh.
I believe cinema is more than entertainment —
it can be a process of recognition.
I look for a pulse, not a formula.
A voice, not noise.
Openness, not posture.
I started creating in school — drawing, editing, making short films.
One project was screened in a local cinema. That moment — the silence, the applause — made me realize: I want to speak to people through story.
I didn’t go to film school. Instead, I led real teams, studied art, and taught myself to build worlds.
Visual storytelling began with comics, deepened with classical painting, and grew into cinema.
For me, it’s always been about one thing: making something that speaks — honestly.
One project was screened in a local cinema. That moment — the silence, the applause — made me realize: I want to speak to people through story.
I didn’t go to film school. Instead, I led real teams, studied art, and taught myself to build worlds.
Visual storytelling began with comics, deepened with classical painting, and grew into cinema.
For me, it’s always been about one thing: making something that speaks — honestly.
Cinema isn’t decoration — it’s recognition.
A story works when it carries a deeper image - something that makes the viewer feel: “this is about me.”
I believe in films that leave a trace. Not noise, not provocation - but presence.
Technology isn’t the enemy.
Speed isn’t the goal.
Truth is.
I’m not against scale — I welcome it.
Spectacle, sound, movement - they don’t have to distract from meaning.
They can carry it.
I believe the big screen still matters.
When emotion and thought align - cinema becomes a real force.
Not just entertainment.
A spark.
A memory.
A mirror.
A story works when it carries a deeper image - something that makes the viewer feel: “this is about me.”
I believe in films that leave a trace. Not noise, not provocation - but presence.
Technology isn’t the enemy.
Speed isn’t the goal.
Truth is.
I’m not against scale — I welcome it.
Spectacle, sound, movement - they don’t have to distract from meaning.
They can carry it.
I believe the big screen still matters.
When emotion and thought align - cinema becomes a real force.
Not just entertainment.
A spark.
A memory.
A mirror.
I choose stories I can’t ignore - not trends.
If a story has no inner charge, I don’t take it on.
I build teams by presence, not resumes.
We don’t pretend — we live the story.
Style follows feeling.
Tools serve the image, not replace it.
Even AI is just a means — not the voice.
I don’t chase speed.
I stay honest.
Not trying to impress — just to speak truly.
If a story has no inner charge, I don’t take it on.
I build teams by presence, not resumes.
We don’t pretend — we live the story.
Style follows feeling.
Tools serve the image, not replace it.
Even AI is just a means — not the voice.
I don’t chase speed.
I stay honest.
Not trying to impress — just to speak truly.
I work with people who care - about the process as much as the result.
Directors. DPs. Designers. Writers. Actors. Sound. Producers.
If meaning matters to you - let’s talk.
Directors. DPs. Designers. Writers. Actors. Sound. Producers.
If meaning matters to you - let’s talk.
*Instagram is banned in Russia
astermun.director@gmail.com
If you're a producer, agent, or curator
and feel we're aligned — I’d be glad to connect.
Reach out directly:
and feel we're aligned — I’d be glad to connect.
Reach out directly:
Social| Short | 13 min
An outsider disrupts the system — and sparks change.
The project touches on a global issue and may echo in my future work.
An outsider disrupts the system — and sparks change.
The project touches on a global issue and may echo in my future work.
Mutual Aid (2024)
Festival project
You Are Not Alone (2025)
Drama | Feature | 73 min
A story about a boy from an orphanage who runs away in search of a better life.
A story about a boy from an orphanage who runs away in search of a better life.
WHAT CAME BEFORE
Some of these projects no longer reflect my current voice.
But they were made by my hands, my experience, my movement.
I leave them here as a trace.
But they were made by my hands, my experience, my movement.
I leave them here as a trace.