Renowned Russian Actress Elena Tonunts at the 13th Athens International Digital Film Festival (AIDFF) in Conversation with Festival Producer and Artist Vasiliki Kappa At the 13th Athens International Digital Film Festival, the acclaimed actress Elena Tonunts traveled from Russia to Athens, where she was honored with an acting award for her performance in the film Leo Tolstoy: Beyond Photography by Dimitry Nonikov. This is one of the very few fictional films ever made about Leo Tolstoy.
Elena Tonunts, whose heritage is half-Russian and half-Ukrainian, spoke to us about the film, her journey in the arts, the emotions evoked by the 
war between Russia and Ukraine, the challenges she faced traveling to Athens for the 13th AIDFF, the exclusion of Russian artists, and the current trend to partially erase art and cultural history due to the ongoing conflict.
Q: Tell us a little about the film Leo Tolstoy: Beyond Photography by Dimitry Nonikov.
A: This film is a high-caliber production made on a budget of only $60,000, which covered everything. It’s such a small amount for a film like this—an amount that would typically only cover one day of shooting for other films with historical references. Yet, we managed to complete it—a film with so many actors, sets, and locations.
Q: What was your experience during the filming of Leo Tolstoy: Beyond Photography?
A: It was almost mystical—a unique experience. Initially, when I joined the cast, I felt how special this movie would be. But when we began shooting at Tolstoy’s house, it was as if I already knew it. The dialogues and the scenes felt so natural to me, as if I had written them myself.
Q: What does acting mean to you?
A: I feel many different personalities within me. I love the process of transitioning between light and darkness, kindness and negativity. I’ve portrayed many different characters over the years.
Q: Do you remember your first role?
A: My first role was playing a woman from another planet, in the film "The Orion Loop" (Петля Ориона), directed by Vasili Levin. (laughs)
Q: What was your next role?
A: The next one was about a woman working on a ship—a collective of women who decided, “We can do everything without men,” and they took over a ship, working on it themselves. ("Take care of women" (Берегите женщин) director Alexandr Polynnikov)
Q: How did your acting journey begin?
A: I was born in Magadan, near Alaska. When I was studying, I excelled in mathematics, chemistry, and physics. My parents encouraged me to 
pursue geochemistry, and I spent five years studying in this field. However, each year, I dreamed of switching paths because it wasn’t for me. Eventually, I went to Moscow, took on small jobs, and then enrolled in the Academy to study theater and film.
Q: Did you have significant mentors during your acting studies?
A: I had three teachers, one of whom was a woman, Svetlana Sobinova, who had worked with Stanislavski.
Q: How do you collaborate with a director to achieve the best result?
A: I like to think of myself as flexible material. As an actor, I strive to learn new things and I focus on the fact that the director has a vision, which I am there to serve.
Q: How do you shape the image of a role before a casting?
A: When someone tells me, "You have a casting today," I ask, "What's the role?" If they say, "It's a secretary," I wear the role's clothes, appear directly in front of the director as the character, and adjust my speaking style to be strict and organizational. If they say the role is of a lighthearted girl who is always laughing, I dress and present myself accordingly.
Q: How do you perceive the process of transforming from one role to another?
A: I enjoy transforming through roles, and it’s true that many times people don’t recognize me from one role to the next.
Q: What is your relationship with the director?
A: There are children who are lively and don’t listen to their parents at all, and others who listen carefully and are obedient. Well, I think that as an actress, in my work with the director, I am like a child who listens to and obeys their parents.
Q: How important is observation in acting?
A: It is crucial, which is why I focus on observation when preparing for a role. I want to understand the nuances: how someone flares their nostrils, a subtle expression, or how an elderly person struggles to walk. These small elements are what bring a role to life.
Q: What advice do you have for young actors?
A: My acting teacher always told us that, as actors, we must continuously observe the personalities around us throughout our lives: a drunk man stumbling along the street, a vivacious young woman dancing with abandon. I believe an actor should listen intently to their character’s inner monologue. Acting doesn’t occur solely in the words we speak—it resides in the silent moments when we reflect on the situations and people around us. For instance, “I feel drawn to this person, but I feel repelled by that one.” These inner thoughts influence our appearance, energy, facial expressions, and posture. Good acting requires integrating the character’s internal monologue into our performance—not just reciting lines.
Q: What is your relationship with time?
A: Time doesn’t scare me. Every moment we live adds something to our soul.
Q: Have you had any recent experiences that stood out?
A: The day at my hotel, some staff members were from Ukraine. I was delighted and invited them to watch the film about Tolstoy that I star in. However, they said, “Tolstoy doesn’t exist for us.” I asked, “Why? Tolstoy is for everyone.” They responded, “No, Tolstoy doesn’t exist for us and never did.”
Q: How do you interpret this attitude?
A: War fosters hatred and manipulates history—even the history of art and culture. Artists and art should not be victimized because of war.
Q: What are your thoughts on the war?
A: For me, war is pure madness. More than half of the people in Russia have relatives, friends, or family in Ukraine. It’s a war between families. We never felt or thought of ourselves—Russians and Ukrainians—as different. It’s only since the war began that all communication and connections have ceased.
Q: How do you experience this as an artist?
A: As artists living in Russia, we know we’re excluded from everything. 
Q: What helps you maintain your youth?
A: There’s nothing specific. The only thing that helps me is my deep spirituality. My grandfather was a preacher, and later I studied theology.
Q: How do you balance staying true to yourself while performing different roles?
A: My teacher used to say, “Elena, don’t play every part —just be yourself.” And a strict director might say the same thing: “Elena, don’t play every part—be yourself.” But they don’t realize that what I’m portraying is still myself.
Q: How was your experience in Athens and at the 13th Athens International Digital Film Festival-AIDFF?
A: It was a truly unique experience. The film was honored, and I won an acting award for my performance. Traveling during wartime was not easy especially from a bureaucratic perspective; it required a lot of effort, and the journey through Turkey was long. However, I am very happy that I made the effort to attend the 13th AIDFF. The warmth with which I was welcomed by the artistic director and director Christos Karakasis and the festival producer, also an artist, Vasiliki Kappa, as well as the the festival’s exceptional organization, made it all worth it.
Elena Tonunts was born and graduated from school in the small town named Magadan, which was located in the east part of the Soviet Union near Alaska. After school she entered Moscow State University and graduated with a degree in chemistry. Then she immediately entered the theatre Academy, where she studied at the acting faculty. At this time, she began working as an actress in various films and is still acting in films. She has about 50 roles in various films and some films with her participation are still often shown on television.
She also graduated from the film Academy with a degree in directing. Her student directorial works has won prizes at international film festivals in USA, France, Italy and Russia. She is still acting in films as an actress. She also graduated from the Orthodox Theological University a few years ago.
