{"id":1182680,"date":"2025-12-05T09:47:01","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T17:47:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.moviemaker.com\/?p=1182680"},"modified":"2025-12-05T09:47:53","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T17:47:53","slug":"how-writer-dmytro-bielov-broke-into-hollywood-from-a-country-under-attack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.moviemaker.com\/how-writer-dmytro-bielov-broke-into-hollywood-from-a-country-under-attack\/","title":{"rendered":"How Writer Dmytro Bielov Broke into Hollywood from a Country Under Attack"},"content":{"rendered":"

Few stories coming out of Ukraine today involve film. One of them belongs to Dmytro Bielov<\/a>, a writer whose long, difficult path through the screenwriting world unexpectedly led to the creation of a book publishing house in wartime Kyiv.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In August 2022, while Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion was still in its early months, Bielov wrote a detective script in just two weeks. After finishing, he immediately translated it into English and submitted it to major Hollywood agencies including UTA, WME, and CAA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only CAA replied \u2014 with a short message explaining that the agency does not accept unsolicited submissions. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t rude, just a standard response,\u201d Bielov says. \u201cBut it was clear that this path wasn\u2019t going anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With no access to representation, he turned to screenwriting competitions. Over the next few years, Bielov entered nearly every major contest he could afford: PAGE International Screenwriting Awards, Austin Film Festival, Final Draft Big Break, Script Pipeline, Screencraft, Scriptapalooza, and many others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some scripts reached long lists, but none advanced further. By this point, Bielov had written close to thirty screenplays. All the money he earned went toward entry fees, evaluations, and submissions. \u201cFor a long time, there was no progress,\u201d he says. \u201cNo agents, no meetings, no feedback beyond contest notes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Dmytro Bielov speaking at a presentation event<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Black List: Harsh Scores and a Clear Benchmark<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The last platform he turned to was The Black List, one of the industry\u2019s most recognized, but demanding avenues. He uploaded around ten scripts and purchased evaluations for each. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The results were discouraging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One screenplay \u2014 a biopic about Elon Musk \u2014 received overwhelmingly low scores: twos in nearly every category, and only one three for dialogue. Still, Bielov uploaded more scripts, purchasing additional evaluations. Only one screenplay produced promising results: 6 for dialogue, 7 for characters, 9 for setting. However, The Black List has a well-known threshold: a score of 8 or higher is what typically prompts managers, agents, and producers to reach out. Despite multiple attempts, Bielov never reached that number. \u201cI came close, but \u2018close\u2019 doesn\u2019t matter there,\u201d he says. \u201cBelow eight, no one contacts you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, he paused all submissions. Nearly two years passed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Quiet Email From Canada \u2014 and a Netflix-Affiliated Studio<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the long break, Bielov unexpectedly received an email from a Canadian talent agency that works closely with a Netflix-affiliated studio. They had reviewed one of his earlier scripts and requested additional materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within weeks, the studio purchased the screenplay for the minimum pilot rate. He was not considered for showrunning due to language limitations and lack of industry experience, but the sale was real and contractually final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the U.S., that amount wouldn\u2019t change much,\u201d he says. \u201cIn Ukraine, especially during wartime, it creates opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using a Hollywood Paycheck to Build a Publishing House<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Instead of pursuing further screenwriting deals, Bielov used the money to establish a small publishing house in Kyiv \u2014 Adaptationbooks<\/a>. The imprint focuses on Ukrainian books shaped by the experience of war: fiction, nonfiction, personal accounts, and literature written by civilians and soldiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Books by AdaptationBooks displayed at Knyharnia Sens on Khreshchatyk, Kyiv<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe publish authors living through circumstances most people can\u2019t imagine,\u201d he explains. \u201cSome are writing from occupied territories, some from the army, some from destroyed towns. These stories matter \u2014 and they need a framework.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adaptations quickly built a distinct identity. It publishes literary works that address displacement, survival, trauma, resilience, and everyday life under invasion. Bielov handles acquisitions, editing, and development \u2014 using skills he gained from years of working with story structure through screenwriting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Career Path That Didn\u2019t Follow the Expected Route<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bielov\u2019s experience illustrates a reality familiar to many emerging screenwriters: breaking into Hollywood rarely follows a predictable path. Years of work may yield no feedback, and success often comes from indirect opportunities rather than linear progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI spent years trying to hit that \u20188\u2019 on The Black List,\u201d he says. \u201cIt never happened. Instead, another door opened\u2014one I didn\u2019t expect.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Selling a screenplay to a Netflix-affiliated studio did not relocate Bielov to Los Angeles. It didn\u2019t launch a Hollywood career. But it created the financial space to build something within Ukraine \u2014 a publishing house giving voice to people living through the war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As he puts it: \u201cThe sale didn\u2019t change my life dramatically. But it helped me change something here. And that feels more grounded.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Few stories coming out of Ukraine today involve film. One of them belongs to Dmytro Bielov, a writer whose long,","protected":false},"author":1639,"featured_media":1182681,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"disable_comments":false,"cm_data":"","cpt_newsletter_id":0,"tpd_coauthor":[],"tpd_feed_delay":{"delay_type":"default"},"is_tpd_lists_single_post":false,"tpd_featured_posts_arr":"","tpd_franchise_content":"","hide_featured_img_single_post":false,"msn_featured_video":[],"_msn_custom_title":"","tpd_featured_video":[],"tpd_sponsored_post_logo":"","tpd_sponsored_post_logo_link":"","tpd_sponsored_post_logo_width":0,"tpd_sponsored_enable_nofollow":true,"tpd_disable_incontent_ads":false,"tpd_disable_right_rail_ads":false,"tpd_disable_after_content_ads":false,"tpd_disable_header_ads":false,"tpd_disable_sticky_footer_ads":false,"tpd_disable_video_ads":false,"tpd_disable_outbrain":false,"tpd_affiliate_disclaimer":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[4516],"tags":[],"coauthor":[],"feeds":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1182680","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-screenwriting"},"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.moviemaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_8137-428x238.jpeg","fimg_url_thumb":"https:\/\/www.moviemaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_8137-428x238.jpeg","fimg_url":"https:\/\/www.moviemaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_8137-788x444.jpeg","author_name":"Deirdre McCarrick","author_avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/db7f0ca8e3bee865d1a0528068844b5b53253500fe37e168aa6d885ed0c82c94?s=96&d=mm&r=g","author_link":"https:\/\/www.moviemaker.com\/author\/deirdremccarrick\/","coauthors":[],"primary_category":{"term_id":4516,"name":"Screenwriting","slug":"screenwriting","taxonomy":"category","url":"https:\/\/www.moviemaker.com\/category\/archives\/moviemaking\/screenwriting\/"},"featured_img_medium":"https:\/\/www.moviemaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_8137-788x444.jpeg","post_categories":["Screenwriting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.moviemaker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1182680","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.moviemaker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.moviemaker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moviemaker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1639"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moviemaker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1182680"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.moviemaker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1182680\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moviemaker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1182681"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.moviemaker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1182680"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moviemaker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1182680"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moviemaker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1182680"},{"taxonomy":"coauthor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moviemaker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthor?post=1182680"},{"taxonomy":"feeds","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moviemaker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/feeds?post=1182680"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}