Leyla Nedorosleva is an independent filmmaker based in Moscow, Russia. Her short film “1919” screened in competition at the 2005 Venice Film Festival. In 2009 Nedorosleva founded Concordius, a film production company and post-production facility in Moscow. She has produced and directed a number of critically acclaimed Russian documentaries.

“Two Four Six” will premiere at the 2017 LA Film Festival on June 19.

W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.

LN: If you were born different — in this case extremely tall — there is a reason for it. The film centers on the experiences of a former basketball player who was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. It shows how dreams can be real, but reality is not going to be what you used to dream about. There will be losses. You will miss your old life. It’s the beginning of a complicated journey.

W&H: What drew you to this story?

LN: The unique qualities of our kids — and their extremely great height — is what drew me to this story.

W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?

LN: I’d like for them to think about where celebrities come from and what perils await them on their path.

W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?

LN: Funding — it’s an independent film.

Shooting in Haiti was also a big challenge. It is not a safe place. It’s a whole different mindset. And people’s poverty and fatigue caused anxious and aggressive behavior. My crew and I don’t speak Haitian Creole, [so] communication was impossible. We shot whole [interactions] without understanding a word. That issue made editing complicated as well.

We also encountered bans on shooting in many locations across the U.S.

We didn’t have much time for principal photography.

Another big challenge was avoiding stereotypes — poverty and famine of Haiti and prosperity of the U.S. There’s happiness and sorrow everywhere in the world.

W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.

LN: It is a self-funded film.

W&H: What does it mean for you to have your film play at the LAFF?

LN: It means a great deal to have the film’s world premiere in competition at LAFF. The whole film emerged from the idea of helping kids in Haiti and for it to premiere at LAFF increases the chance for it to be seen by a wider audience in order to raise awareness.

Creative process is a delicate matter. You don’t completely envision your result before you finish the film. You are responsible for the people you involved in making it. They followed you before they could completely understand your idea. There are real people involved in documentary films and you lead them, as opposed to narrative films where everything is staged, pre-planned, and rehearsed.

Being selected by a major festival defines the quality of your work — it confirms the existence of the finished product. This is extremely important to the subjects, crew, and myself. The news of making the LAFF official selection actually got us started on a new film.

W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?

LN: The best advice: When I was a teenager my dad started to teach me to drive. You have to understand that women didn’t drive during this time in Soviet Russia. You could not even imagine a woman driving. When I asked him why [he would] teach me something only men do, he said, “To make you independent.” That advice profoundly affected my life.

I keep filtering out bad advice. Why would I want to remember?

W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?

LN: To keep being women, even while directing films, no matter how complex the trade can be.

W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.

LN: My favorite film is “Olympia” by Leni Riefenstahl.

Artistic imagery is used to capture a simple event, transforming sports competition coverage into a piece of art.

W&H: There have been significant conversations over the last couple of years about increasing the amount of opportunities for women directors yet the numbers have not increased. Are you optimistic about the possibilities for change? Share any thoughts you might have on this topic.

LN: Personally, I don’t quite understand why [we should] fight to increase the number of female directors. The number of female directors is not related to any increase in opportunities. Quality over quantity. A director’s gender is irrelevant to me. Great films have to keep coming. Great film is the most important thing. And I don’t care who made it — a man or a woman.