Vitaly Sumin

After receiving an M.S. degree in Oceanography, Vitaly Sumin produced ocean-related documentaries (Jacques Cousteau style) which eventually led him to abandon his scientific career to get a B.A. degree in film directing.

He subsequently worked as a co-writer and producer on numerous productions.

Sumin’s award winning short film "From Womb To Tomb", which he wrote, directed edited, and produced, made a world tour of important festivals.

Sumin received a US patent #4,784,394 for his invention "The World Belongs To You!" - an interactive tourist game (including video, reality TV and other versions).

Resuming his film pursuit, Sumin attended the Sorbonne in Paris under a study grant.

His script "The Idiot", which recast Fyodor Dostoyevsky novel as a contemporary international thriller, received a development grant from The Warner Bros Fund.

Later Sumin moved to Los Angeles, California, and created VM Productions to develop and produce quality films based on original stories and masterpieces of world literature. (Other VM Productions activities: music videos, commercials, industrial films...)
In June 2013 he was appointed as a Jury Member of the short films section by the Direction of the 16th International Film Festival Brigantina, Ukraine
Writer/Producer/Director: feature film "Shades of Day" – in the framework of his “Dostoevsky-Los Angeles Project” - "Shades of Day" – an adaptation of Dostoevsky’s novella “White Nights” was selected by the Rutgers University’s professor Gerald Pirog for his course in cinema along with the classic works by Bertolucci, Kurosawa, Bresson, Scorsese, Schrader, Von Sternberg...

For various reasons – mainly because the film was shot on super 16 – separately in b&w and color - the negative remained uncut and the film hasn’t been submitted to the festivals – until April 2013 – after the Director’s Cut-2013 has been finally completed.

In 2011 Vitaly wrote, directed and produced feature film "Notes From The New World" – - an adaptation of “Notes From The Underground” by F.

Dostoevsky - (the second chapter of ‘Dostoevsky-LA Project”
2012: Vitaly produced the 19 mini-series project titled "The Missing Screenwriter" that became a winner of the 14th Intern.

Festival of Detective Films - Moscow, Russia – April 2012 (Category “Crime and Punishment”)
Sumin's project "CRIME AND PUNISHMENT, LA” made it to the top 8 for the European Co-Production Matchmaking Program, which was featured during a panel at SXSW -2017! "C&P, LA" – represent the third chapter of Sumin's ambitious “LA-Dostoyevsky Project” - a re-envisioning of Dostoyevsky's classic novel transported to LA during the riots of 1992: Currently the project is in active development
In 2017 Sumin was invited by Professor Marcus C.

Levitt, Director of Graduate studies in the USC to screen the films of his “Dostoevsky-LA Project” for the USC students.
post –production of the 2 feature length movies: -"Behind The Scenes Documentary- Reimagining Dostoevsky" (writer, producer, director) – Trailer: -"The Missing Screenwriter" - based on 19 award winning mini-series.

Trailer
Development of the package of 3 feature length projects (writer, producer, director): "Idiot, LA", "Shades of Blood", "Crime &Punishment, LA" with the participation of A and B cast