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| Windham cinematographer Filipp Kotsishesvkiy films in the jungles of Reserve Zorzal in the Dominican Republic. Moving to the U.S. from Russia, the acclaimed filmmaker now lives in Windham. SUBMITTED PHOTO |
How can I, as a writer who is fascinated by local life stories, ignore the excitement of a neighbor as he approaches me after a job he has just completed and exclaims, “I got to meet and talk to Yo-Yo Ma at Acadia National Park this weekend!” (Ma is an internationally known American cellist who was highlighted in various local news sources recently for his impromptu performance at this very venue).
And then, after a few minutes of conversation, I also discover he is traveling to the Dominican Republic in a few days to film a documentary about rainforests and birds. He has captured my attention when I discover that this is a normal, everyday experience in his life as a cinematographer.
I could not pass up an opportunity to
get to know this person and share his fascinating life story. Although his role
as a successful filmmaker is important to note, his journey to become such
needs a bit of recognition too.
The intriguing person in question is
Filipp Kotsishevskiy of Windham and his account as a flourishing filmmaker
begins at a very early age.
As the then six-year old roamed the
dark and dusty loft, Kotsishevskiy discovered two heavy leather cases that once
belonged to his grandfather who died before he was born. He opened the
containers made of rawhide and discovered metal cameras with rolls of film
tucked neatly inside. Kotsishevskiy learned later that the still images
captured family memories and stories that only the Kotsishevskiy family knew
and loved.
“While I touched the cold metal of the
camera and smelled the scent of the film, there was something that opened up in
me. I knew at that moment that I would be working with cameras and film in some
way – I just didn’t know how it would come about,” Kotsishevskiy said.
The year
in his memory is 1996 while he, his mother and grandmother were preparing to
leave Moscow. His mother advised that the cameras should remain in the family’s
attic. His mother owned this home in Moscow and planned to rent it while living
in New York. She feared the equipment that held relics of a country in turmoil
would be confiscated at the airport but would remain safe in the dark crevasses
of the family’s attic. She promised her son she would return someday to
retrieve them.
New life
Kotsishevskiy’s story begins in 1990
when he was born to a single Armenian mother who moved to Russian from Baku, Azerbeajan
as a young actor and dancer. Much like Millie Dillmount in the musical “Thoroughly Modern Millie” who moves
from Salina, KS to NYC to seek fame and fortune, Kotsishevskiy’s mother moved
to Moscow in the late 1980s with dreams of her own. Those dreams shifted when
she gave birth to Kotsishevskiy. Her aspirations changed as she felt called to provide
the best possible experience and home life to her new son during difficult times.
“I was born during the collapse of the
Soviet Union and there was very little food available – including baby food,” Kotsishevskiy
said. “My grandmother who lived with us waited in bread lines to feed the
family and my mother relied on her friends who lived in Europe and sent baby
food to feed me.”
Kotsishevskiy’s mother supported him
and his grandmother by working as a VIP Restaurant Manager. This gave him the
opportunity to make his own money and prepared him to meet ‘famous’ people that
would obviously be a part of his future career.
“Instead of going to a day care, we all went to work with our parents. We were considered the ‘kitchen brats’”, Kotsishevskiy said, referring to the children of the kitchen staff. “We got to meet famous politicians and other big names of that time. We washed their big, fancy BMW’s, Mercedes, etc. and would get paid for it. For me, it was a fun adventure while hanging out with friends.”
As the political, social, and economic
difficulties continued in what is now formally known as the Russian Federation, Kotsishevskiy and his family
accepted the invitation by his mother’s sister to live with her in New York
City. Kotsishevskiy began his American life in the Bronx when he was in the
first grade.
Although he experienced many ups and
downs during his first year, Kotsishevskiy quickly adjusted to American life, speaking,
and understanding English by the second grade. He refers to his early and
teenage year experiences as being a ‘typical American kid’.
By the time he reached sixth grade, his
interest in the theater arts and cinematography expanded and took hold, first
writing plays and casting his friends as the stars of the show and then
eventually creating silent movies with a friend during his high school years.
But like almost all youth who enter the
arts as a profession, he was persuaded and pressured by well-meaning adults in
his life who encouraged a more steady and solid career path.
“In New York, a student must begin
thinking about their future and choose a high school that accommodates their
career choice,” Kotsishevskiy said. “I wanted to attend LaGuardia High School
because its focus is on music, art and the performing arts. But because I was
advised that a career in the arts would most likely keep me poor for the rest
of my life, I decided to become a lawyer and choose the more prestigious
Stuyvesant High School instead.”
Stuyvesant High School is a public
magnet and college-prep school that groom students for ivy league education and
a solid future that most often comes with financial success.
It turns out, Kotsishevskiy, who
disliked all his classes, failed in almost every subject. As a result, he had
to meet with the school’s counselor.
“After meeting with the counselor and
my mother, it was decided that I should participate in a local theater group,”
Kotsishevskiy said. “This is where I started to bloom and I as a student
thrived.”
Kotsishevskiy graduated successfully in
2008 from the elite Stuyvesant High School but his experience in the local theater
group is where his ‘real’ education occurred and was the contributing factor to
his success.
He applied to and was accepted by State
University New York (SUNY)- Purchase, a liberal arts college and film
conservatory. This gave voice to his true innovative and creative endeavors.
First documentary
“My first documentary [to be graded]
was on homelessness in New York City,” Kotsishevskiy said. “The title of my
film was ‘Out for Days’ and I lived the life along two individuals who chose
homelessness as a lifestyle.”
His choice for a school assignment took
notice by the professors which gave him the confidence as a student to keep
moving forward professionally. After graduating from SUNY-Purchase with a Bachelor
of Fine Arts in Film and marrying a fellow SUNY-Purchase classmate who hailed
from western Pennsylvania, Kotsishevskiy found his way to Maine to work for
Maine Media Workshops as a cinematographer. This is where his journey as a
filmmaker expanded exponentially.
“I was paid to learn from some of the
world’s best photographers and cinemaphotographers,” Kotsishevskiy said.
After
working three years fulltime as a news cinemaphotographer with WGME-TV and
winning an Emmy for a News
Historical Feature story on the Great Fires of Portland Maine,
Kotsishevskiy set out on his own and now works for Peel and Eat, a video production
company based in Boston. He is also a freelance film artist during his time
off.
This experience, along with the
experience of living in Maine with all its lakes and the ocean that sits along
the rugged coastline, has captured his soul. He and his wife now live near the
shores of Highland Lake, and he plans to continue his work in cinematography.
One day it is quite possible that Windham will be able to claim the fame of
Kotsishevskiy – who will be the equivalent of the next Yo-Yo Ma.
As for his grandfather’s leather bags
filled with old film and heavy metal cameras that once sat in an attic in
Moscow, Kotsishevskiy’s mother kept her promise. The artistic work of his
grandfather that inspired Kotsishevskiy to pursue his current life journey -
now lands permanently in his hands. <
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