Biography

Vitaly Sumin is a producer, writer and director, known for White Nights (1997), Shades of Day (2006), Notes from the New World (2011), The Missing Screenwriter (2012), An LA Story: The Making of the Award-Winning Notes from the New World (2025), and Crime & Punishment, LA.

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 obtain 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. Following that initial success, Sumin's path diverged slightly - from filmmaking to game development. In 1988, he received a US patent #4,784,394 for "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.
- IMDb mini biography by: Vitaly Sumin