Oh hi, my name is Irina Varina

I act in film and theater, as well as produce my own work.

According to DC Theater Arts, my work is “like a drunken conversation between intimate friends, Irina and her audience.” Well…

Most of my projects start out as explorations of life experiences that are hard to put into words or seem too shameful. Often, I make work by letting myself swim in these experiences while pulling in whatever else is present – a book I or my collaborators are reading, an unexpected memory, the way you moved your arms when I passed you on the street, or the latest news. Embarrassment, laughing, and bizarre synchronicities are always part of the process.

Us, Forever Ago, my first feature film, finished its festival run and now you can rent it online! Things I’d Like to Do Instead of Thinking About Men became a six part web series. An Encounter debuted at the 2020 Philly Fringe Festival and is a 30-min walk with Death for one audience member at a time. I created more street performances in the following years, one of which, Ministry of Loneliness, is now in its third year of running.

My films got to screen at The Art of Brooklyn Film Festival, Queens World Film Festival, Coney Island Film Festival, NewFilmmakers New York, Tiny Film Festival (grand prize winner), PBS channel (winner of Reel 13 contest).