OK
By Anton Dyakov - 2026
Black Box
Is oblivion liberation or punishment?
Synopsis
An elderly photographer studies a series of photographs, attempting to reconnect the broken thread of memory with the people they depict — who they were, how they lived, and where they are now.
Although the film has a central character, it is not the story of his life, nor of his memories. Instead, it is a quiet requiem for a bygone era and for those who embodied it — a reflection on the futility of trying to preserve people in memory as they truly were.
Mission
The experience of loss is universal. Everyone carries it. In a world marked by ongoing conflicts, this pain is continually multiplied.
This short essay film seeks to build a small bridge between people living through loss. Not forgetting those close to us, and remembering those who are no longer with us, is not a mission — it is an act of salvation.
Perhaps someone, somewhere, will remember us too — who knows...
About the film
Anton Dyakov’s short film BLACK BOX is a non-verbal, monochrome animated essay exploring the fragile nature of memory and the fleeting quality of human existence. Through fragmented images and silent observation, the film reflects on how individual memories form a mosaic — a collective canvas of time and a memory of a generation.
The past resembles gathering twilight: the further it recedes, the denser the darkness becomes, and the more indistinguishable the faces are. This is the work of Time — relentless and almighty, one of the most complex forces in the universe. It shapes the destinies of people and civilizations, alters landscapes, turns seas into deserts, smooths mountain ranges, and erases the memory of cities, nations, and heroes alike.
Time is humanity’s most ruthless adversary, reducing lives to a sequence of irretrievable losses and grinding memory into oblivion. Throughout history, humankind has struggled against this erasure. Cave paintings, chronicles and miniatures, frescoes and paintings, and finally photography, are all attempts to resist time — to hold on to those who lived within it, and to keep them with us a little longer.