Biography

Nika Belianina is a Toronto-based writer/director and a photographic artist whose work lives at the intersection of the wonderfully weird and the profoundly human. She doesn't just create magical realism; she's lived it - from her communist upbringing in the USSR to being adopted into Montana's Blackfeet (Piikani) Tribe, from navigating Peruvian jungle to filming boxing matches in the slums of Nairobi. Her films have screened worldwide from Tribeca to Port Lagos and Fantasporto Film Festivals, proving her voice connects across cultures. While she's skilled enough to helm directing true-crime series for major networks (CTV, Discovery+) and the latest vertical series "When Love Finally Found me" (ShortsWave, KalosTV, DailyMotion), her true passion is finding the deeply human core in any genre. This unique lens informs all her work, whether in her award-winning comedy shorts like "The Robbery" (Just for Laughs, Cinefest Sudbury’s Winner) and "Paradox" (CBC Gem), or in her fantastical films that explore anti-utopias like The Butterflies of Trip City (produced by Clark Johnson from "The Wire").
- IMDb mini biography by: unknown