AI Helps a Russian High School Student Create His Own Film Series
Maxim Kandykov, a high school student from the village of Novaya Chara in Russia's Kalarsky District, has used artificial intelligence to create a short film titled Za Baikalom. The Two (Beyond Baikal. The Two).
Maxim Kandykov has spent years exploring the creative potential of artificial intelligence. Earlier, he attracted attention with an unusual digital project that sent Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla on a virtual journey across Russia's Zabaykalsky Krai. Using generative AI, he created images of the two scientists at some of the region's best-known landmarks and combined them into a narrated video tour in which Einstein and Tesla introduce viewers to local attractions. The entire project, effectively an original AI-powered tourism experience, took him just four hours to complete.
A Film Created in Three Weeks
After seeing how far generative AI could take his creative work, Maxim set out to make something even more ambitious: a film about a musician who leaves the woman he loves, returns 20 years later, and meets the son he has never truly known. That emotional reunion becomes the story's central theme and its philosophical reflection on family, time, and forgiveness. Maxim wrote the plot, the dialogue, and the film's underlying message himself, while AI allowed him to bring the entire production to the screen without financial costs. The production took three weeks from start to finish. Five days were devoted to developing the screenplay, another five to writing AI prompts, one week to editing and selecting footage, and four days to creating the sound effects.
At first glance, the premise feels familiar: a father who is also a musician leaves his family, perhaps in pursuit of artistic fulfillment, perhaps in search of fame. Yet the film shifts attention away from his departure and focuses instead on his return. It asks what it means to come home after years apart and why that choice can matter more than leaving in the first place.
"The main idea of my project is to present today's Zabaykalsky Krai as a place where memory, hope, and connections between generations come together through a simple human story. The film follows a father who leaves Chita, leaving his family behind. Twenty years later, he returns to his hometown, meets his son, and hands him the guitar he once played himself," Maxim Kandykov said.
Democratizing Media Production
Maxim Kandykov's experience illustrates how generative AI is making it possible for a single creator, without access to a film studio, production crew, or significant budget, to complete almost the entire filmmaking process independently.
Artificial intelligence is proving valuable not only in manufacturing, advertising agencies, or creative businesses. It is also expanding opportunities for individual creative expression. Whether someone lives in a major city or a small rural community with no professional film studios or specialized schools matters far less than it once did. Today, anyone with an idea can bring it to life, just as Maxim Kandykov has done from the village of Novaya Chara. Thanks to projects created with AI, he has gained recognition well beyond both his hometown and his region.
For Russia, projects like this help cultivate practical AI skills among students at an early age, strengthen regional creative industries, and preserve local culture through digital storytelling. The technological foundation is already taking shape: Russian-developed generative tools, including KandinskyVideo, are now available for creating images and short videos.
A Catalyst for Youth Creative Projects
Za Baikalom. The Two (Beyond Baikal. The Two) demonstrates how a student from one of Russia's remote regions can put artificial intelligence to practical creative use. The project outlines one possible path for developing digital skills among teenagers while emphasizing independent creativity and preserving the regional identity of the finished work.
Maxim Kandykov offers a compelling example of what that future could look like. As Russian AI technologies continue to evolve, projects like his are likely to become increasingly common. Neural networks will serve as accessible production tools, but truly outstanding work will still depend on the imagination and talent of the people using them.
The film's success is also significant for Zabaykalsky Krai itself. It has already drawn the attention of regional Governor Alexander Osipov. The project could become the starting point for youth media laboratories, regional digital filmmaking competitions, and new creative initiatives dedicated to the area's history, natural landscapes, and cultural heritage.
