Denis grew up in an orphanage, where his mother left him soon after his birth. He is a special boy, who due to a rare illness is immune to pain. This makes him popular among other boys, who take bets on how long he can endure cruel physical games. One day his mother turns up out of the blue and takes him to Moscow, where he becomes part of a gang that extracts money from wealthy people. Denis becomes a “jumpman” – someone who jumps in front of cars to blackmail the drivers. Re-united with his mother, Denis feels that this new life is a dream come true until one day … he starts feeling pain again.

Ivan I. Tverdovsky graduated from the Russian Institute of Cinematography. He directed the documentaries AS IF WAITING FOR A BUS (2009), PIANISM (2012), and SPACE DOG (2013), and the features CORRECTIONS CLASS (2014), and ZOOLOGY (2016). Both his feature films participated in over 30 international film festivals, including Karlovy Vary, Toronto, Busan, Gothenburg, London, Cottbus, Fantastic Fest Austin and many others, winning awards.

Filmography:
2018 - JUMPMAN
2016 - ZOOLOGY
2014 - CORRECTIONS CLASS
2013 - SPACE DOG, doc.
2012 - PIANISM, doc.
2009 - AS IF WAITING FOR A BUS, doc.