At the tender age of three, Vladislav Alex Kozlov's life took an unexpected turn, as he began to stutter severely, rendering his speech almost incomprehensible. His parents, deeply concerned about their son's speech impairment, initially envisioned a quiet career as an office lawyer for him, one that would involve minimal communication with others.
However, Vladislav's artistic inclinations and passion for the performing arts drove him to secretly pursue theater acting and directing lessons. Miraculously, these lessons had a profound impact on his speech, significantly improving his ability to communicate.
Undeterred by his speech difficulties, Vladislav left for Hollywood to pursue his dreams, eventually landing a job as an extra in the city's film industry. Watching the biggest directors and actors at work, he became inspired to create his own movie.
His striking resemblance to the silent screen idol, Rudolph Valentino, coupled with his fascination with Old Hollywood and his speech problem, led him to conceive a silent film about his childhood idol. In 2006, Vladislav directed, co-wrote, and produced a 17-minute silent black-and-white short film, "Daydreams of Rudolph Valentino," in which he also starred as Rudolph Valentino.
The project was generously funded and supported by Hollywood Forever Cemetery, where Rudolph Valentino is buried. Vladislav's producing skills were further showcased as he convinced numerous vendors and industry professionals to donate their equipment, locations, and services to the project.
Over the next decade, Vladislav expanded his short film project, eventually growing it into a feature film, "Silent Life," starring Terry Moore, Isabella Rossellini, Franco Nero, Sherilyn Fenn, Paul Rodriguez, and Monte Markham. The project is currently in post-production and is slated for release in 2022.
Vladislav had the privilege of learning from Hollywood veteran editor Frank Morriss, who taught him the old Hollywood editing technique for over five years. Frank's expertise had a profound impact on Vladislav's understanding of film editing.
In August 2019, Vladislav won First Prize for Best Director at the Rhode Island International Film Festival for his Neo-Noir short film, "The Killers," a thought-provoking exploration of cryonics. The film's success was attributed to Vladislav's ability to merge the macabre, science fiction, and neo-realism, redefining the cinematic experience.
Currently, Vladislav is working on several other projects, including a Hybrid film, "American Superman," which tells the poignant story of a man who has been dressing up as Superman to work on the Walk of Fame as a costume character for 25 years, only to descend into homelessness.
