Black Box: A Meditation on Memory and Time

Trollfilm announces new production with Oscar-nominated director Anton Dyakov

DOVRE, January 2026 – We are excited to announce that Black Box, a non-verbal, monochrome animated essay film directed by the acclaimed Russian-born animator Anton Dyakov, is almost ready for its official launch. The film marks a significant milestone for us – it is the first film for our new producer Claus Gladyszak at Trollfilm.

A Quiet Requiem

Black Box follows an elderly photographer as he 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. 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.

Between memory and forgetting, the elderly photographer rides in search of those who once were. © Trollfilm AS

The past resembles gathering twilight: the further it recedes, the denser the darkness becomes, and the more indistinguishable the faces are. 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.

A Universal Theme of Loss

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...

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. © Trollfilm AS.

An Artist Finding New Ground

Anton Dyakov gained international recognition with his Oscar-nominated animated short film BoxBallet (2020), and has previously received the Youth Award at the Annecy International Animation Festival for Vivat, Musketeers! (2017). Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Dyakov has faced significant challenges due to his clear anti-war stance. His subsequent projects have been censored or rejected by Russian state funding bodies, effectively making him a filmmaker in exile. Despite these obstacles, he continues to create meaningful animated content.

Black Box represents another chapter in the deepening collaboration between Dyakovand Trollfilm. The director is also developing Gunpowder Man with us, which recently received production support from Østnorsk Film Center.

The Team

The film brings together a dedicated team of artists: Anton Dyakov serves as director and production designer, with animation by Elizaveta Kharchenko. Music and sound design comes from composer Alexey Gallyamov. The film is produced by Claus Gladyszak for Trollfilm.

We look forward to sharing more about this thoughtful meditation on memory, time, and what it means to remember – and to be remembered. The Black Box trailer can be viewed here.

For more information about Black Box, visit our In Production page here.