Something happened in the woods
Hi! I'm Phillip.
If you're here you probably saw one of the trailers and you're wondering what all this is. (Honestly a part of me is right there with you.) So the best way I can explain it is to just tell you where it all began.
Backstory
Over the years we've earned many titles, from field frolickers to the sword duelers at the castles of Cornell. We were living the dream… me, my $250 Canon T5i Rebel, and my younger brother Timothy.
Raised in the small town of Ithaca, NY to Ukrainian immigrant parents, we lived a childhood remote enough that allowed us to dream up entire worlds of our own.
After high school we began creating these experimental 30-second bits. Hundreds of videos later: local college dropped, books (actually) read, and many cringeworthy moments later… We learned how to wear every hat along the way (shoutout YouTube University). Somehow 1.6 million people got interested in our lil endeavors. Then in April 2025, along with the Creator Camp squad, we made our first 38-minute short film They Were Art Thieves (up on YouTube). A new world opened. The next move? A much more personal, longer, more expensive film. Which brings us to why we are gathered here today: the start of UNSEEN.
Why We're Doing This
Everything you've seen so far has been mostly shot over the past few months with 3 people; me as the crew with Josh Czuba and Timothy on camera. It's been a way to explore and build the world since the film itself still mostly exists in my head and stacks of paper. I don't know HOW this next part of the story will go. Maybe we send it scrappy and independent, calling in favors and turning friends' apartments into sets. Maybe it finds a bigger, more traditional path.
All I KNOW is that it will exist because making films is our way of grasping the unexplainable. In 2022, Timothy and our cousin Vladik, our best friend who we grew up with, were passengers in an accident that took Vladdy's life. I was the first person on the scene. Timothy's injuries were near death. What's inside this film is what death could not take. It's breathing proof that we're still here… that you can go through hell and still choose to see life.
UNSEEN is a story about the things we all hold within us. What we choose to show could be the most beautiful and terrifying part of being alive with those around us. How we choose to carry it all, the seen and unseen.
Join Us
I won't pretend this will be easy. A film takes years, uncertain and difficult years, and money. Funding is a crucial part that allows for the gathering of many beautiful minds to bring this to life. At some point we will most likely launch a fundraising campaign, but before then, if you would like to be part of this journey with us, there are multiple ways to join.
One of our goals is to hire a part-time team to document a series of how all of this will unfold. This would be free access for everyone on YouTube, mostly because I wish I could watch someone do this when I first began at 19 (and even now!). So here's a few ways to follow along and support UNSEEN.
Newsletter
Updates & Early Access
Join an email list for updates and early access to the film.
Are we ready? It doesn't feel like it, which is exactly why we're starting now. Over the years, people have shown up for us in many ways. Knowing you're not doing it alone really does change everything (might be the point of this whole living thing, right?)
So thank you for being here. You really do make a difference and put a smile on ma heart <3
With all da love,
Phillip Linnik