A star of the Film Festival says Red Hook is best!

Director, cinematographer, and editor Stepan Liubimov has had a long and interesting journey to Red Hook. He will also be taking part in the third annual Red Hook Film Festival, both as a judge for a competition and as a director of a short film in a non-competitive category of the festival.

The Red Hook Film Festival grew out of the neighborhood’s creative energy—a community of filmmakers, artists, and residents who believe that storytelling can shape a city. It will take place at various locations throughout the neighborhood from May 8-17, including Green Lung Studio, Red Hook Cidery, Valentino Park and Pier, and Strong Rope Brewery. Details about screenings are available on the Red Hook Film Festival’s Instagram page and on Eventbrite.

Liubimov was born in Tolyatti, a city in Russia on the Volga River, and then moved to Saint Petersburg, where he lived for 15 years. While in Saint Petersburg, he developed a love for the arts and documentary filmmaking.

“My first education is as an actor, my second is as a director for physical theater, and my third is as a producer for film production,” Liubimov said. “I started creating films about visual artists, dancers, circus performers, ballet, theater, and musicians.”

A few years ago, Liubimov moved to the United States, and after briefly living in New Jersey, he moved to Red Hook just under two years ago.

“I decided to move to New York City because I grew up with American movies and I was curious about the United States my whole life,” Liubimov said. “When I studied to become a director for physical theater, I was very inspired by Cirque du Soleil and lots of other performers from the U.S.
Easier here

“I lived in Paris for a little while, but I tried to do projects in Europe, and I felt that you needed to know the language very well to work there, whether it was French, Czech, or German. I felt it was easier to make connections with people here in the U.S., and you could start working together quickly after making those connections. I think Red Hook is the best place for that because there are lots of studios and very talented artists.”

Liubimov has worked with Michael Sharkey and Andromache Chalfant at Coffey Street Studio at 153 Coffey St.

“It was a miraculous story how we met,” Liubimov said. “I was walking down the street, and I saw this open gate, and they were preparing to have a concert. I came in, published some pictures of the concert and tagged the studio, and that’s how I met Michael and then ended up working with him.”

Liubimov has made a variety of films and has worked with Cora Dance, Pioneer Works, Red Hook Arts Project, and Quick & Dirty Theatre Company. He has also made many of his own films, including “A Dedication to the Teacher” in 2022, which is a portrait of ballet coach Lyudmila Kovaleva in Saint Petersburg.

His 2025 film “ZirkusEffekt” is a documentary about Upsala-Circus in a small German town, where children from Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Russia find a shared, wordless language through circus—rediscovering trust, belonging, and the courage to imagine a future.

His 2022 short film “White Point,” which is about experimental dance, was selected for the non-competitive program “Red Hook Shorts” for the festival. It was filmed with the help of a drone that followed Liubimov.

“I was also very happy to be asked to be a judge for the festival,” Liubimov said. “I watched about 30 different films, scored them [out of five], and judged them to select the best short movie. It was a really interesting process, and there are a lot of very unique and interesting films, and it forced me to look at each film from a different perspective.

“There are so many talented filmmakers, artists, and dancers here, and it’s been amazing living here. I feel like Red Hook is the best place to be.”