Russian-born filmmaker Yuri Shapochka. Detail from production photo by Thomas Diasio.

The surprising part of Russian-born filmmaker Yuri Shapochka’s personal story is the city where this dashing director with long, brown hair and intriguing now world-view lives and works. It’s our own sleepy burg of Birmingham. I wrote a profile of Shapochka for the June 2012 issue of B-Metro magazine in Birmingham, where I’m a regular contributor. Shapochka left Russia, where he worked as a journalist and TV producer, 15 years ago to come to America. He wanted a chance to make film and believes he made the right choice in coming to Birmingham, though it’s not a film capital. “To me it was a good place to start,” he told me in a phone interview. “Nothing is easy, but I saw open doors. I saw support of the local people. I saw a friendly attitude.” And now Shapochka, will for the first time have a full-length feature film to peddle at markets and festivals beginning in the fall of 2012. The film is Clubhouse, a revenge play and morality tale filmed in Birmingham and featuring Shapochka’s characteristic black comedy.