Until recently, Dmytro Bielov worked in marketing. Today, he collaborates with international film companies and streaming platforms. In early 2025, he sold his screenplay to a Netflix subsidiary after the script reached the top rankings of the Black List.
Currently based in Kyiv, Ukraine, Bielov shares his perspective on how writers can attract attention in one of the most competitive creative industries — screenwriting — what inspires his work, and what it really takes to learn how to write stories that resonate.
We speak with Dmytro over Zoom. Only a single beam of light falls across his face — the result of strict power outages in Kyiv caused by Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
How is it working in Kyiv during blackouts?
It’s honestly not as difficult as it might seem from the outside. Electricity comes on for a few hours a day, and that’s usually enough to charge all essential devices. You learn to plan your time more precisely and value focus.
And to be fair, I’m still one of those dinosaurs who can write perfectly well in a notebook with a pen. If you genuinely want to write, conditions are rarely the real obstacle.
Which films have inspired you recently?
Two films stand out for me right now: Bugonia and Eddington.
What I love about these films is how confident they are in their identity. They feel bold, strange, and uncompromising. I’m always drawn to strong dramaturgy and high-concept ideas — something that feels risky, non-obvious, and slightly uncomfortable. Those are the kinds of stories that stay with you.
Who do you consider the greatest screenwriter, and who influenced you the most?
For me, it’s Charlie Kaufman. He’s an absolute idol. I own printed copies of all his screenplays, carefully bound together with office thread.
Adaptation and Being John Malkovich are desk-side books for me — on the same level as The Catcher in the Rye and Catch-22. These works don’t just inspire me; they shape the way I think about structure, character, and honesty in storytelling.
I also deeply admire the screenplays of the Coen brothers and Quentin Tarantino.
No Country for Old Men and The Hateful Eight are, in my opinion, absolute masterpieces.
In general, if you want to learn how to write well, my advice is very simple: just read screenplays. Open professional script libraries and read. Read constantly. Then read again.
Do aspiring writers need to read screenwriting manuals?
In my view, the best manuals are still the screenplays themselves. Theory can be useful, especially early on, but it never replaces real texts. No structure diagram or rulebook will teach you more than a great script read from beginning to end.
There’s a well-known anecdote about Mario Puzo, who, after writing The Godfather, bought a screenwriting book and found advice on the first page telling him to study The Godfather as the perfect screenplay. That story perfectly reflects how I feel about theory.
How many drafts do you usually write before showing a script to an agent?
I usually write very close to what I intended from the beginning. The first draft is the most important one for me, and I rarely rewrite it completely.
My process relies heavily on preparation. I don’t start writing until I know the story almost perfectly. That preparation can take months. And when I finally sit down to write, I’m not searching for the story — I’m translating something that already exists clearly in my head.
How do you deal with creative doubt or so-called writer’s block?
I don’t really believe in writer’s block. What many people call “writer’s block” is usually either a lack of preparation or fear of making a wrong choice. When the story is clear in your head, writing becomes mechanical — you simply sit down and do it.
I’ve noticed that doubt often appears when a writer doesn’t fully trust the story yet. Once that trust is there, the process becomes much simpler. Discipline matters far more than inspiration. Inspiration is unreliable; discipline is what actually finishes scripts.
Sometimes stepping away helps too — giving your subconscious time to work. That’s why I keep notebooks filled with random thoughts, bits of dialogue, or images. Months later, those fragments suddenly connect and turn into scenes.
Should screenwriters follow trends in the industry?
I think trends are one of the biggest traps for young writers. Films take years to develop, while trends change much faster. If you chase what’s popular right now, you’ll almost always arrive too late.
What truly matters is having a strong personal voice. Scripts stand out not because they imitate the market, but because they feel honest and specific. Authenticity is far more valuable than trend awareness.
What are your current plans?
Right now, I’m focused on the Ukrainian market and want to direct my own film here. That feels like an important and necessary step for me.
At the same time, I continue writing for international markets and developing projects abroad. I don’t see these paths as contradictory — they inform and strengthen each other.