My Name Is Oil
2025 · 14' · documentary
dir. Igor Smola
World premiere - Sheffield DocFest
Hong Kong IFF · Filmfest Dresden · Bogoshorts · Message to Man
We find the way for your stories
Festival strategy & boutique distribution for independent cinema
A great festival journey can begin with a single viewing.
The films on our slate have played at Busan IFF · Clermont-Ferrand · Tampere · Kraków FF · Sheffield DocFest · Full Frame · Hong Kong IFF
Selected films
Films we walk with
There are few of them. That way we get to know each film closely and see where it should go.
We stay close to the author and take the film further together, from the first viewing to meeting its audience.
And when a film wins an award, it belongs to the director, of course. We are simply glad to stand nearby.
Next on the slate - The Man Who Moved the Platform, dir. Igor Smola.
01Festivals first
Every film has a road of its own
For shorts and debut films, festivals are often where a film truly meets its audience for the first time. That is where it gains a name, a story and a way forward.
So we do not send the film everywhere at once. We watch it closely, try to see where it can resonate strongest, and build its festival path step by step.
We write to selectors ourselves and track premiere status, deadlines and materials. The organisational load is ours, so the director can think about cinema.
A festival run is not luck. It is cartography.
We have walked this road with our own films: more than fifty selections. We know its narrow places and its turns.
02The economics
A film can gradually pay its own way
Festivals give a film more than screenings, audiences and laurels. Some pay for taking part in the programme. Universities, cultural centres and educational venues also buy good short and feature films.
Little by little, such screenings build a budget for the next submissions, translations and materials. In time, the first sales may follow.
€50-150
per festival screening of a short
up to €800
per screening of a feature
€5,000+
what a long run of ~100 screenings can return
This is not a promise of income but examples from real European runs. The sum depends on the country, the festival, the screening format and the film itself.
The festival run helps a film travel further.
Screenings, awards and press make a film more visible and help show its value. With that story we offer it to television, online platforms and educational venues.
No upfront fees Commission on prizes, screenings and sales Every right stays with you
How we work
Four steps of the way
01
Selection
Send the film. We watch everything and answer everyone.
02
The route
A festival map for this film: premiere tier, sections, timing.
03
The campaign
Submissions, letters to selectors, materials and subtitles.
04
The return
Screening fees, prizes, sales after the run - with a clear report.
We stay with every film all along its way.
STEZAСТЕЗЯ
About
An agency built by directors
We are directors ourselves. With every film of ours we walked this road anew: searching for festivals, working with agents and distributors, waiting for answers, celebrating selections and sometimes not knowing what was happening to the film next.
At some point we decided to build the company we would want to work with ourselves. One where a film does not get lost among dozens of others, the author understands what is going on, and the people nearby truly care about their cinema.
We cannot promise festivals, awards or sales. We can promise attention, honest conversation and work we will not be ashamed of. That is the bar we hold for every film.
Vladimir Koptsev
Director, graduate of Alexander Sokurov's workshop. Leads the strategy and drives the company forward. Made seven films with more than fifty festival selections.Barcelona
Elena Koptseva
Producer and director. In charge of industry relations, partnerships and educational projects. Introduces the film to people who can help it travel further.Barcelona
Igor Smola
Director and festival strategist. Knows the festival world well and speaks with selectors in person. His films have screened in Busan, at Sheffield DocFest and True/False.Baku
Show us your film
Its road may begin here. We will watch the film closely and tell you honestly whether we can help it travel further.
Watching is free, and the rights stay with you.
hello@steza.agency