Only Love




'Only Love' is a tragicomedy about a Dictator, a Rebel, and Love. It is a darkly humorous tale of a dictator facing the ghosts of his past misdeeds, a man's eternal search for love, and the terrible price one sometimes has to pay for it. Brimming with nonstop creative energy, this traditionally animated short is a feast for the eyes and ears with beautifully painted backgrounds, outstanding orchestral score, and a story that will make you laugh and cry.




Festivals & Awards:

  • 2009 Ivy Film Festival (Best Animation)
  • 2009 New Strand Film Festival (Student Visionary Award)
  • 2009 Purple Violet Student Film Festival (Best Animation)
  • 2009 Kent Film Festival (Best Animation)
  • 2008 Fort Lauderdale Int'l Film Festival (Best Student Animation)
  • 2009 Long Island International Film Expo (Best Original Score)
  • 2009 Great Lakes Independent Film Festival (Best Animation)
  • 2009 Palm Beach International Film Festival
  • 2009 St. Louis International Film Festival
  • 2008 Woodstock Film Festival (World Premier)
  • 2010 The Northern Wave International Film Festival (Iceland Premier)
  • 2010 Banana Peel Festival (Russia Premier)
  • 2008 Waterloo Festival for Animated Cinema (Canada Premier)
  • 2009 Klik! Amsterdam Animation Festival (Netherlands Premier)
  • 2009 Young Cinema Student Film Festival (Poland Premier)
  • 2009 California International Animation Festival
  • ... and more ...
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How to add your own artwork to CD/DVD

I was once asked to prepare a tutorial for film class students on how to print DVDs with your own artwork. I think this could be useful to a wider audience, so here it is.

Why do your own artwork?

Current level of technology makes adding artwork to your disks easy and affordable, so there is no excuse for giving out disks with “my film title” scribbled on them with a magic marker. Artwork on the disks looks professional and gives you a chance to make an impression even before the person has a chance to pop your disk into a DVD player.

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2008 Woodstock Film Festival

"Only Love" has just premiered at Woodstock Film Festival. In a review at indieWIRE Eric Kohn wrote:
"... the marvelous animated short ... "Only Love", directed by School of Visual Arts student Lev Polyakov, uses a delightful 2-D visual approach to tell the darkly humorous, virtually wordless account of a dictator combating the ghosts of his past misdeeds. Wielding a style reminiscent of Bill Plympton -- but packed with far richer metaphor -- Polyakov proves the ongoing versatility of the 2-D format and announces his arrival as a fresh talent in the animation scene."

Thank you, Eric, I am very inspired by this review. I've always admired Bill Plympton's work, and the comparison is very flattering. Although, Bill is at the top of the mountain that I am just starting to climb.

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