'Piter FM' director Oksana Bychkova films queer short in Barcelona, says it makes returning to Russia risky
Russian director Oksana Bychkova, who left Russia in 2022, is now shooting a short film in Barcelona about a queer flamenco dancer, saying the project makes going back to Russia risky. Meanwhile, her 2006 debut 'Piter FM' is enjoying a renewed wave of popularity in Russian theaters.
Oksana Bychkova's 2006 debut film "Piter FM" has unexpectedly found new popularity in Russia, running in theaters for a second year and drawing a new generation of viewers. A sequel has even been produced on the back of its success. Bychkova, who left Russia in 2022 and now lives in Barcelona, takes the renewed interest calmly, saying the film works as a kind of "time machine," reminding audiences of 2006 rather than standing out as an exceptional work.
The director has no plans to return to Russia to capitalize on her debut's success — she is focused on a new project. In 2026, Bychkova received a grant from the URST foundation to make a short film in Catalan. The film, called "Elio," follows a young queer flamenco dancer who returns to his home village after his mother's death to care for his grandmother, who has dementia. The story was inspired by a real case of a queer man who worked at Moscow theaters before returning to a Siberian village for a similar reason, though Bychkova's version is set in Catalonia and carries a touch of magical realism.
Bychkova acknowledged she is aware of Russia's homophobic laws and admitted she is afraid. Her elderly mother lives in the Moscow region, and if her mother's health worsened, Bychkova would need to travel to Russia — something she says would be risky given the film's subject matter and Russian legislation. Still, she said fear should not stop her from making a film she deeply cares about, and that she would go to Russia regardless if her mother needed her.
Filming is set to begin in late October in the Ebro Delta in Catalonia. Madrid-based actor Mitch Martín, known for his role in the Cannes 2025 competition film "Romería," has been cast as the lead. The search for an actress to play the grandmother is still underway. Much of Bychkova's crew comes from a directing workshop she ran in Barcelona for Russian-speaking students, and the production has launched a crowdfunding campaign to cover costs beyond the grant.
