Youngest Director of a Short Film
- Atlas World Records
- Nov 2, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Nov 3, 2025
KYIV, 2 November 2025 (Atlas) — From a country where headlines too often tell of conflict, a quieter story emerges — not of destruction, but of creation. It comes from the mind of a thirteen-year-old boy who has chosen to tell stories through light, lens, and motion. His name is Alexey Chugaev, and his short film Agent 7–13: The Start marks a rare moment in cinema: the ascension of a child into the discipline of authorship.
At an age when most still consume stories, Alexey has learned to compose them. His camera does not tremble. His ideas are deliberate. The film, inspired by the classic Sean Connery–era Bond pictures, introduces a new kind of hero — a young agent at the beginning of his journey, uncertain but brave, imperfect but intelligent. Through this character, Alexey begins his own path as both storyteller and craftsman.
What might have seemed an impossible undertaking for someone his age — writing, casting, filming, and editing — was carried out with calm precision. A month and a half of writing. Two weeks of filming. Ten days of editing. Not chaos, but orchestration. His words are simple: “There were no difficulties. The team worked together as one.”
That team — Danya Ananyev, Solomiya Blahopoluchna, and Nazariy Ruslanovych — formed a circle of dedication around the project. Together, they built a small, functioning studio of ambition and joy. It was filmmaking not as an escape, but as an expression of life as it should be: collaborative, focused, and unbroken by fear.
Alexey speaks not of hardship, but of practice — of watching great directors, analyzing scenes, studying rhythm and framing. His influences — Quentin Tarantino, Guy Ritchie, Jackie Chan, Tim Burton — each left an imprint that he has reinterpreted in miniature form. In his hands, the widescreen 2.76:1 aspect ratio, once the province of Hollywood epics like Ben-Hur, becomes a vessel for youthful precision — proof that cinematic language belongs to anyone who dares to learn it.
When Agent 7–13: The Start was released online, it did more than complete a record attempt — it connected. The film has now been viewed over one million times on TikTok, where audiences across the world discovered its mix of suspense, style, and startling maturity.
For these achievements, Atlas World Records formally certifies:
Youngest Director of a Short Film
Youngest Director of a Crime Short Film
Youngest Director of a Film in the 2.76:1 Format
In Alexey’s work, we witness not tragedy or survival, but something simpler and more profound: normalcy reborn through art. Amid the noise of a divided world, one boy found a way to focus a lens — and, through it, created a fragment of stillness, of order, of imagination.
He calls it Agent 7–13: The Start. And it is, unmistakably, the start of something greater.
[Alexey would like to thank the following individuals for their help with his film: Oksana Viktorovna, Danya Ananyev, Solomiya Blahopoluchna, and Nazariy Ruslanovyc.]
Transparent Adjudicator Statement
Record Titles: Youngest Director of a Short Film, Youngest Director of a Crime Short Film, Youngest Director of a Film in the 2.76:1 Format
Record Holder: Alexey Chugaev (Ukraine)
Date of Completion: 31 May 2025
Atlas Record IDs: 20425012, 20425013, 20425014
Following the submission of evidence under Atlas Verification Protocol (AVP-72), the Atlas Adjudication Committee has reviewed all materials submitted in support of the claim by Alexey Chugaev.
Verification Summary
Film Title: Agent 7–13: The Start
Genre Classification: Crime/Action Short Film
Aspect Ratio: 2.76:1
Director’s Age at Completion: 13 years, 2 months
Release Date: 31 May 2025
Evidence Submitted: Full film file (1080p) with credits, director's interview, camera metadata, witness statements.
Verification Method: Timestamp analysis, aspect ratio verification, authorship confirmation, and cross-reference against external registries of comparable youth directorial achievements.
Atlas World Records IDs: 20425012, 20425013, 20425014
Verification Hash (SHA-256):
42802e9b1a2b646c745a2aa08b0959364fac760131f13cf9e387143661bda808
Proof of Records: Cert-20425012.pdf.ots, Cert-20425013.pdf.ots, Cert-20425014.pdf.ots
Adjudication Findings
Video Evidence Review / Primary Verification: The submitted short film was reviewed in full by the Atlas Adjudication Committee. The footage bears original production markers and digital metadata consistent with the claimed authorship and filming window.
Witness Verification Statements and film credits confirmed that Alexey directed the film in its entirety and was responsible for creative and logistical leadership throughout the production.
Identity & Age Verification: Documentation verified that Alexey was 13 years old at the time of filming completion.
Forensic & Technical Authentication: Frame-by-frame analysis confirmed the authentic 2.76:1 aspect ratio. No evidence of compositing, reframing, or artificial scaling was found.
The film's total running time meets the Atlas definition of a short film (under 40 minutes), consistent with the industry standard used by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and other film-classification bodies.
Comparative and Cross-Archive Benchmark Review
AtlasEngine™ conducted an automated search across 18 verified world-record and film-achievement archives to identify prior benchmarks in youth filmmaking.
Guinness World Records (1972): Sydney Ling (Netherlands) was recognized as the Youngest Film Director – Writer – Producer at age 20, for the feature-length film Lex the Wonder Dog (1973).
India Book of Records (2019): Aldo A. Clement (India) was certified as the Youngest to Direct a Short Film at age 17 years, 11 months, 26 days.
No younger director has been recorded by any recognized certifying body for a completed short film.
Accordingly, Alexey Chugaev’s age of 13 years, 2 months establishes a new world benchmark for the youngest director of a short film and its crime-genre and 2.76 : 1 format subcategories.
Conclusion
Upon full verification, Atlas World Records hereby certifies that Alexey Chugaev of Ukraine holds the world records for:
Youngest Director of a Short Film
Youngest Director of a Crime Short Film
Youngest Director of a Film in the 2.76:1 Format
Verified and Authenticated by AtlasEngine™ and the Atlas World Records Adjudication Committee, 2 November 2025 (UTC)