In the early 1950s, researchers at the Soviet Academy of Sciences took in two strays, Dezik and Tysgan. Little did they know that these lost pups would soon become the first dogs to achieve suborbital fight when propelled onboard an R-2A series rocket 68 miles above the earth’s surface.

Although often overshadowed by the more famous Soviet space dog Laikia ( who was the first animal to orbit the planet); Dezik and Tysgan were the first to experience the possibilities of that great beyond, paving the way for others in the future. Tragically, Dezik perished during her second sub-orbital flight due to a failed parachute deployment, but her brief time as a canine cosmonaut was enough to set the wheels of the future in motion.

It is in the spirit of this stray, the audacity to be the first flung into the unknown, at risk of flying into historical obscurity and certain demise, that we created Dezik Productions. She is a reminder of what it means to take that first step and how important it truly is. It is for Dezik that we launch into the unknown, unafraid of how we will land, always remembering to cinema boldly.

*After being left without her sister in flight, Tsygan was adopted by famed Soviet physicist Anatoly Blagonravov.

Cinema’s most significant innovations, like Godard’s jump cut and Eisenstein’s crafting of montage, are often replicated. They’ve become ubiquitous, permeating mainstream filmmaking, pop culture, and social media. While these ideas are constantly used today, rarely is the spirit of these leaps forward replicated with new and fresh ideas. 

The first jump cut was more than just a break of continuity; it broke our norms and expectations. Now, decades later, it has become a convention, no longer challenging the viewer’s perception of cinema and the world. This is how so much of our visual language has progressed, consumed by standardization and reduction. We see more of the same and less of what pushes the boundaries of what film forward.

At Dezik Productions, we hope to do more than repeat and conform. Taking inspiration from the past and empowered by today’s technology, we constantly look to tell new stories and realize revolutionary futures. We make all forms of films – shorts and features, narrative and documentary, mainstream and experimental. Our genre is expression, creativity, and innovation. Other than that, we don’t very much believe in rules. Our primary concern is to continue the tradition of what made the films we love great. We want to create cinema in the spirit of those storytellers and innovations, not just replicate them. The only way we know to do this is to constantly strive to cinema boldly.

Dezik Productions was founded by Michael Arthur Cox.

Michael began making films with his friends and family in his backyard in a small town in Sonoma County. This soon became more than a hobby when Michael created and ran a film festival for young independent student filmmakers that also raised money for the local children’s home. The festival ran three years before Michael left for Chapman University to further study the craft of filmmaking. He worked in all capacities and on all types of films, from editing feature documentaries to producing short narrative films and making an experimental short about snails. 

After college, his passion took many forms beyond simply working on films. He has produced TV commercials (his favorite being a spot with Partridge Family mom and Academy Award Winner Shirley Jones), directed music videos, created web content, pitched TV shows and films to investors, and even worked as a graphic designer. After years of exploring the vast and rapidly expanding world of content creation, Michael returned his focus to filmmaking with editing the award-winning feature film The Longest Night and short films Cafe Abundance and Divine Mother. 

Today, he continues his exploration of storytelling and image creation, continuously sculpting and refining a larger concept of cinema through his work on Dezik Productions. Throughout his career, no matter what he was doing, Michael’s goal always remained the same: communicate and connect with people through striking and beautiful images on screen.