Zhenia Kazankina (she/her) is a director, screenwriter, and editor, born in Moscow, Russia, in 1996. She graduated from the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) and is currently based in Rome, Italy. Her work explores themes of adaptation, attachment, and the search for belonging, often through the lens of feminine characters and perspectives. Unfolding in a collective dimension, her stories are rooted in metaphorical concepts and personal experience, and touched with elements of mystery and fable. Her short films have screened at international festivals including Cannes, Locarno, Palm Springs ShortFest, ZINEBI, True/False, Curtas Vila do Conde and many others. Her recent short film "City of Owls" premiered at Cannes Film Festival in the Semaine de la Critique program. She is an alumna of Locarno Filmmakers Academy, Spring Academy, and Reykjavík Talent Lab.