Anton Dyakov is a Russian animator, director, screenwriter, and artist born on March 1, 1980, in Almaty, Kazakhstan. He graduated from Almaty's Art College with a Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design (1995-1999) and later earned a Master's degree in Textile Design from Abai Kazakh State University (1999-2001). After working in advertising for over a decade, he transitioned to animation and studied at the renowned SHAR Animation Studio School in Moscow from 2010-2012.

Dyakov gained international recognition with his Oscar-nominated animated short film "BoxBallet" (2020), which tells the wordless story of a romance between a boxer and a ballerina. The film was nominated for Best Animated Short Film at the 2022 Academy Awards, making him one of the few Russian animators to receive this honor. However, he was unable to attend the ceremony due to being denied a U.S. visa.

His other notable works include "Vivat, Musketeers!" (2017), which won the Youth Award at the Annecy International Animation Festival, and "Python and the Guard" (2015). His diploma student film "Kostya" (2012) received prizes in the category of best student film in Russia and participated in the Annecy Festival.

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Dyakov has faced challenges in his home country due to his anti-war stance. He collaborated with Ukrainian musicians on the short film "I'm Burning!" (2022), which he dedicated to all victims of the war, stating "There is no excuse for this war." The film was released at a festival in Suzdal where it received three prizes, including the audience award. Since the war began, Dyakov decided to publish this work in the public domain on YouTube and the film can be viewed here. His subsequent projects have been censored or rejected by Russian state funding bodies, effectively making him a filmmaker in exile within his own country. Despite these obstacles, he continues to work on new projects and remains committed to creating meaningful animated content. One of them - his film in development "Gunpowder Man" to be produced by Trollfilm and Les films du Poisson Rouge, recently received its first funding from Østnorsk Filmsenter.