People: Rus
List activity
190 views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
22 people
- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Nikita Mikhalkov is the son of the famous communist poet Sergey Mikhalkov, who wrote the lyrics of the Soviet national anthem and had strong connections to the Communist Party. Nikita Mikhalkov's mother, Natalya Petrovna Konchalovskaya, was also a poet and daughter of famous painter Pyotr Petrovich Konchalovsky and his wife Olga Vasilievna Surikova, and by her the great granddaughter of another great painter Vasily Surikov. And then last, but not least, Nikita Mikhalkov is the brother of Andrey Konchalovskiy, also a distinguished film director who, unlike Nikita, has worked in the USA.
Not only did Mikhalkov direct the Academy Award-winning film "Burnt by the Sun" but he is also well-known as a versatile actor, having appeared in over 40 films, including the role of the Russian Tsar Alexander III in his own "The Barber of Siberia" (1998).
Mikhalkov has an impressively long list of wins at the most prestigious film festivals, like Cannes, Venice, Moscow or Karlovy Vary.
Following his movie's Oscar win for Best Foreign Language Film, Nikita Mikhalkov won a parliamentary seat in the then Prime Minister Victor Chernomyrdin's party.
He is always in the spotlight, especially in Moscow, where he resides.- Director
- Actor
- Writer
Director and screenwriter Andrey Zvyagintsev is the winner of the Venice Film Festival (2003) and the Cannes Film Festival (2011, 2014, 2017). Two-time the Academy Awards and the BAFTA Awards nominee. Winner or the Golden Globe Awards (2015) for his film "Leviathan". In 2018, his latest work "Loveless" was awarded Best Foreign Film by the César Academy, France.
Born on the 6th of February in 1964 in Novosibirsk, Andrey Zvyagintsev attended the Novosibirsk Theatrical School, class of Lev Belov, before pursuing his studies in Moscow. In 1990, he graduated from the acting faculty of the Russian Institute of Theater Arts (GITIS), class of Evgeny Lazarev. In the following years Andrey gave several theatre, film and TV appearances as an actor.
In 2000, he debuted as a director. He made three short films for REN TV Channel's "The Black Room" series - "Bushido", "Obscure", "The Choice" - that was followed by his first full-length feature.
In 2003, "The Return", a debut not only for the director but also for the majority of the crew, played the main competition at the 60th Venice Film Festival and won its highest prize, the Golden Lion. Besides, Zvyagintsev was awarded the Lion of the Future for best debut, "a very delicate film about love, loss and growing". It captured the attention all over the world becoming one of the cinema sensations of the year.
His second film, "The Banishment", competed for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2007 and won Best Actor (Konstantin Lavronenko) - the first-ever for a Russian artist.
In 2011, Zvyagintsev's third film, "Elena", premiered at the 64th Cannes Film Festival and won the Special Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section.
His fourth film, "Leviathan", screened in competition at the Cannes Film Festival in 2014 and won Best Screenplay (Andrey Zvyagintsev and Oleg Negin). In 2015, the film won the Golden Globe becoming the first Russian feature to win this award since 1969. The film got an Oscar nomination in the same category at the 87th Academy Awards.
Zvyagintsev's next film, "Loveless", won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2017 and was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards in 2018. "Loveless" was released in all major territories earning nominations for all acclaimed cinema awards worldwide including The Golden Globe Awards and BAFTA. It was awarded Best Foreign Film at France's César Awards, for the first time in history of both Soviet and Russian cinema.
In 2018, Andrey Zvyagintsev served on the Cannes Film Festival jury.- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Eldar Aleksandrovich Ryazanov was born on November 18, 1927 in Samara, Russia. He graduated with honors from the Soviet State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) in 1950, as a film director. He was making documentaries for five years. In 1955 Ryazanov came to work at the Mosfilm Studios under the direction of Ivan Pyrev, who produced Ryazanov's first feature film 'Karnavalnaya Noch' (Carnival in Moscow, 1956). It was an instant box office hit starring Lyudmila Gurchenko and Igor Ilyinsky.
Ryazanov's early comedies 'Devushka bez adresa' (1957), 'Gusarskaya ballada' (1962), 'Dayte zhalobnuyu knigu' (1963) were popular in the time of the cultural "Thaw" which was initiated by Nikita Khrushchev. However Ryazanov's film 'Chelovek niotkuda' (1961) was banned by the Soviet censorship, regardless of the fine acting by Sergey Yurskiy and Anatoliy Papanov. 'Beregis avtomobilya' (Watch Out for the Automobile, 1966) is arguably the most popular of Ryazanov's comedies. In that film Ryazanov worked with the stellar cast, including such actors, as Innokenti Smoktunovsky , Oleg Yefremov, Anatoli Papanov, Georgi Zhzhyonov, Yevgeni Yevstigneyev, Andrei Mironov (I), Olga Aroseva, Donatas Banionis, and other Russian film stars. The music score for the film was written by the brilliant composer Andrey Petrov.
Ryazanov created his own style of lyrical comedy with a soft satire on the Soviet life. His 'Zigzag udachi', with Evgeniy Leonov in the leading role, was a nice fairy tale for the Soviet people. 'Stariki-razboyniki', starring Yuriy Nikulin, Evgeniy Evstigneev, and Andrey Mironov was a crime-parody. His extremely popular TV-movie 'Ironiya sidby, ili S lyogkim parom!' (Irony of Fate, 1975 TV) was a big hit of the 70's and later turned into a nostalgic cult. It is shown every New Year's Eve as a tradition in the former Soviet Union. Actors Andrey Myagkov, Yuriy Yakovlev, Barbara Brylska, and Aleksandr Shirvindt are working together as one acting ensemble. Two years later Ryazanov directed another hit, 'Sluzhebny roman' (1977), where Andrei Myagkov made a nice duet with 'Alisa Freindlikh'.
Eldar Ryazanov wrote and directed 'Garazh' (1979). Ryazanov delivers a dazzling array of Soviet characters and situations in this film, ranging from funny, bitter, and sarcastic, to greedy, manipulative, and scary stupid. In somewhat a departure from comedy, Ryazanov brings the theme of "Gulag" prison-camp in 'Vokzal dlya dvoikh' (1982). Still the film is full of Ryazanov's warm humor and also benefits from the performances of Lyudmila Gurchenko and Oleg Basilashvili. 'Ruthless Romance' (1984) is the Ryazanov's adaptation of the 19th century story by 'Aleksandr Ostrovsky'. His latest film is Andersen. Zhizn bez lyubvi (2006).- Producer
- Actor
- Director
Founder and co-founder of Art Pictures Studio production company, general producer of NMG Studio company, Chairman of the Directors Board of Lenfilm Production Studio, founder of Industry Film and Television School. Directed two successful domestic war dramas: "The 9th Company" (2005) that was based on real-life battle during the Soviet-Afghan war became the first Russian film with $25 million box-office and was awarded by the National Academy of Cinema Arts; "Stalingrad" (2013) became one of the highest-grossing films in Russian history and gained over $67 million worldwide. Moreover, "Stalingrad" was the first Russian movie released in IMAX format. One of the latest Fedor Bondarchuk's projects, sci-fi blockbuster "Attraction" (also released in IMAX format), became one of the top grossing Russian films and earned over one billion rubles in Russia and CIS. Over 4 million viewers watched "Attraction" in cinema, the movie also became the leader on streaming services after its online release . The follow-up of this ambitious story, "Invasion", came out in theaters in January 2020 and grossed over 900 million rubles in cinemas (with more than 2 million audience). Another Fedor Bondarchuk's latest project was his first TV-series "Psycho" - a dramatic story about a modern psychotherapist. Russian NMG Studio and Renta Videostudio were producing.
Fedor Bondarchuk's Art Pictures Studio Production Company has been working on national and international markets over 25 years and is considered to be one of the leaders in Russian film industry. Art Pictures Studio production projects include such Russian box-office hits as "Ice" (directed by Oleg Trofim), "Heat" (directed by Rezo Gigineishvili), "Soulless " and "Soulless-2" (directed by Roman Prygunov) and many others. Films produced by APS have earned over $200 million in movie theaters and won over 50 Russian and International awards. More than 80 countries purchased the rights to distribute APS projects. The "Ice" sequel -"Ice 2" (directed by Zhora Kryzhovnikov) premiered February 2020 and grossed more than 1,5 billion rubles. Over 5 million people have seen "Ice 2" in cinemas. Art Pictures Studio's new movie - sci-fi thriller "Sputnik" where Fedor Bondarchuk played a colonel Semiradov (directed by Egor Abramenko) was also a huge hit. The project was viewed more than 1 million times after just one month of online-streaming in Russia. It also became Number 1 in American iTunes (the "Horror" category) right after its USA release. "Sputnik"'s Rotten Tomatoes score is almost 90% - it is the first time when a Russian project is rated this high. In September of 2021 APS released its first documentary "Bondarchuk.Battle" focusing on a figure of Academy Award-winning director Sergei Bondarchuk. Helming the project are journalists Anton Jelnov and Denis Kataev with Ilya Belov as a director. Fedor Bondarchuk was producing.
Fedor Bondarchuk is one of the founders and producers of Art Pictures Vision Company which specializes in TV production. Art Pictures Vision portfolio includes such popular TV projects as "The Year of Culture" (TNT channel), "90's. Funny and loud!", "Psychologirls" (STS channel). In 2019 APV projects premiered on Amazon Prime streaming service: sports drama "Junior League" (STS), spy thriller "Sleepers" (TV 1st channel) and a horror movie "The day after" became available for foreign subscribers. The latter also had a release in Japan - both on TV screens and online. Among current APV projects are road-movie type of comedy "Let's go!" (STS) and sports comedy "Lanky Girls" (STS), a detective period piece An Hour before the Dawn"(NTV and more tv), a story about a Russian moto sport team "Kamaz Master" - "KAMAZ. Extreme Racing" (Premiere), and a comedy " Parents Commitee" (STS).
In 2017 Fedor Bondarchuk and producers of "Vodorod" Production Company Mikhail Vrubel and Alexander Andryushchenko, joined by National Media Group, founded Industry Film and Television School. The mission of the School is to form a new generation of professionals in Russian film industry. At present Industry Film and Television School offers more than 20 various training programs from filmmaking and cinematography up to VFX production. Among the members of School's advisory board and training staff are professionals of Russian film and TV industries as well as successful and talented Russian filmmakers. In the three years of its existence School produced a lot of student's short films that later got into the programs of such significant film festivals as "Kinotavr", "Motion", "In one word" (Korotche), MIFF and many others.
Fedor Bondarchuk is also known as one of the most popular and sought-after actors of Russian cinema. He played more than 70 roles in movies and TV projects of various genres. Fyodor Bondarchuk is the two-time winner of the awards of Golden Eagle: for a leading n role in a movie "Two days" by Avdotya Smirnova (2012) and for a leading role in the famous comedy "Ghost" produced by Alexander Voitinsky (2015). He is also a well-known TV host. He's been hosting his own TV show "Cinema in Details" on STS channel since 2005. Fedor Bondarchuk repeatedly became the winner of the TEFI, Nika, Golden Eagle and Blockbuster awards and won a lot of other prizes.
Fedor Bondarchuk is the Chairman of Trustees Board of Open Russian Film Festival "Kinotavr", the member of "Nika" Russian Academy of Cinema Arts and Sciences, the member of "Golden Eagle" National Academy of Cinema Arts and Sciences of Russia. At the end of 2018 he was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky for his contribution in the development of national culture and arts. Also at the end of 2018, in accordance with the Decree by the President of Russia, Fedor Bondarchuk entered the Presidential Board of Culture and Arts. In 2019 he received the National Grand Prix "Media Manager of Russia".
Fedor Bondarchuk was born on May 9th, 1967 in Moscow, in the family of director Sergei Fedorovich Bondarchuk and actress Irina Konstantinovna Skobtseva. He graduated from the directing department of VGIK University (Yuri Ozerov's workshop) in 1992. He began his career in 1990 as a director of music videos with famous Russian musicians. In 1993 he debuted in cinema with a short film "I Love" featuring a star performance by the famous actress Lyudmila Gurchenko. A war drama "The 9th Company" (2005) based on real-life events during Soviet-Afgan war is his full-length major debut.- Director
- Writer
- Actress
Oksana Bychkova was born on 18 June 1972 in Donetsk, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Ukraine]. She is a director and writer, known for Another Year (2014), Peterburg. Tolko po lyubvi (2016) and Plus One (2008).- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Vasiliy Sigarev was born on 11 January 1977 in Verkhnyaya Salda, Sverdlovskaya oblast, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia]. He is a writer and director, known for Volchok (2009), Living (2012) and The Land of Oz (2015). He has been married to Yana Troyanova since 2003. They have one child.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Yuriy Bykov was born on August 15, 1981 in Novomichurinsk, Soviet Union is a Russian filmmaker, screenwriter and actor. He is best known for directing the social films The Major (2013), The Fool (2014) and the crime TV series The Method (2015).
In 2009, he directed a short film Nachalnik (2009), in which he appeared as a screenwriter, director, composer, producer and actor. The film was awarded the prize for Best Short Film at the Kinotavr Film Festival.
In 2010 Yuri Bykov made his feature film debut with the film To Live! (2010).
In 2013, his film The Major (2013) premiered in the International Critics' Week at the Cannes Film Festival. The crime drama was awarded at several festivals, including prizes for Best Picture, Best Director and For Outstanding Artistic Contribution at the 16th Shanghai International Film Festival. In 2016, the American company Netflix received distribution rights and plans to remake the film as a mini-series, titled Seven Seconds (2018), which will include 10 episodes.
In 2014, the social drama film The Fool (2014) was released. The picture received a number of prestigious awards, including the Grigori Gorin prize for the Best Script and the diploma of the Russian Guild of Film Critics ("For the uncompromising artistic expression") at the 2014 Kinotavr Festival. Also the film was highly rated by The New York Times critic Stephen Holden, who named it as one the five best films of 2015.
In 2014 he became the director of the first season of the crime drama TV series The Method (2015), which was released on the screen next year. Konstantin Khabenskiy, who liked Bykov's work on the film The Major (2013), invited him to work as director on the series. Yuri Bykov notes that he shot the series "according to the principles of the comics" in its light form and followed the instructions of the showrunner Alexander Tsekalo about creating a Sreda ("Russian HBO"). The series received the TEFI award in the category "Television Film / TV series" and several other awards. Bykov refused to participate in the shooting of the second season because he wanted to concentrate on making more auteur films.
He shot two-thirds of the film Spacewalk (2017), dedicated to Alexey Leonov and his spacewalk, but because of creative disagreements he was removed from the project. According to the producer of the film Timur Bekmambetov, the film has some scenes which were filmed by Yuri Bykov. Bykov noted in an interview that is not interested in seeing the movie because the story became drastically simplified and the film's tone became overly patriotic.- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Aleksey Fedorchenko was born on 29 September 1966 in Sol-Iletsk, Sol-Iletskiy rayon, Orenburgskaya oblast, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia]. He is a director and producer, known for Angels of Revolution (2014), The Last Darling Bulgaria (2021) and First on the Moon (2005).- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Boris Durov was born on 12 March 1937 in Slavyansk, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a director and writer, known for Pirates of the 20th Century (1980), Vertikal (1966) and Rodila menya mat schastlivym (1981). He died on 5 April 2007 in Moscow, Russia.- Director
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ilya Frez was born on 2 September 1909 in Roslavl, Smolensk Governorate, Russian Empire [now Roslavlsky District, Smolensk Oblast, Russia]. He was a director and writer, known for Love and Lies (1981), Eto my ne prokhodili (1976) and Otryad Trubachyova srazhayetsya (1957). He died on 22 June 1994 in Moscow, Russia.- Director
- Editor
- Writer
Anton Megerdichev was born on 22 July 1969 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia]. He is a director and editor, known for Three Seconds (2017), Metro (2013) and Revenge (2007). He has been married to Elena Panova since 2011. They have two children.- Evgeniy Tkachuk was born on July 23, 1984 in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. When he was ten, his family moved to Syzran, Samarskaya region, Russia. His father is an actor in the Drama theatre of Syzran and his mother is a physician, PhD in medical sciences. From the very childhood he was in the theatre and spent a lot of time in the backstage, watching the performances. Together with studies in the high school, Evgeniy played plenty of leading roles in the Drama theatre of Syzran. In 2002, after graduating from the high school, Evgeniy moved to Moscow and attended the Russian University of Theatre Arts (GITIS), Department of Directing of the Dramatic Theatre, Workshop of O. Kudrjashov, which successfully graduated in 2006. Being the student of the IV course, he was invited to play the role of Hippolytus/Boy in the "Phaedra, Golden Spike" (Director A. Zholdak) in the Theatre of Nations (Moscow). For this performance he was awarded with Prize of the MK "For the Best Debut". After graduation from the Academy in 2006, Evgeniy Tkachuk was awarded with Prize, named by the People's Artist of USSR Mikhail Tsarev "For the successful comprehension of the Actor's profession".
- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Vladimir Menshov was a Russian director and actor, noted for his depiction of the Russian everyman and working class life in his films. Born on September, 17, 1937 in Baku (then USSR, now the territory of Azerbaijan), like many Russian directors and actors Menshov studied at the state film school VGIK. Although his filmography as an actor is superior to that as director (actually confined to only five movies), he will be remembered most of all for his second film as director, Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears (1980), one of the most popular and beloved films in Russia, starring his wife Vera Alentova. The film brought him international recognition and the Oscar for the Best Foreign Film. Menshov did not attend the Academy Awards ceremony personally because he could not leave the country due to some problems of political nature, and the prize statuette was accepted by the USSR Commissioner to the U.S. The film itself is a moving story of three girlfriends who arrive in Moscow in search for a better life. A great melodrama in the first place, on a close analysis, the film can be seen as a biography of a whole generation since in the late 1970s, young people who abandoned their provincial towns with no opportunities for good jobs and strove to settle in the Russian capital.
In 1999, the 20th anniversary of the film's original release was celebrated at a series of events around Russia. Another film, an immensely popular comedy of manners Love and Doves (1985), was about a rural farmer peasant falling in love with a glamor urban lady. It ensured that his career continued to glitter. In the decade that followed he refrained from directing and in his rare interviews was very critical of the cinema industry. In 1995 he made Shirli-myrli (1995) - a very long extravaganza satirizing practically every aspect of cultural and political life in Russia. The film showed that these "off the job" years had not affected his talent. Zavist bogov (2000) - a nostalgic drama - demonstrated his longing for the Soviet era life style. Although criticized by some for "being too simple", Menshov was affectionately loved by ordinary cinema-goers who saw him as one of a very few directors capable of creating a perfect comedy or drama out of a down-to-earth situation.- Additional Crew
- Writer
- Director
The most famous Soviet film-maker since Sergei Eisenstein, Andrei Tarkovsky (the son of noted poet Arseniy Tarkovsky) studied music and Arabic in Moscow before enrolling in the Soviet film school VGIK. He shot to international attention with his first feature, Ivan's Childhood (1962), which won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival. This resulted in high expectations for his second feature Andrei Rublev (1966), which was banned by the Soviet authorities for two years. It was shown at the 1969 Cannes Film Festival at four o'clock in the morning on the last day, in order to prevent it from winning a prize - but it won one nonetheless, and was eventually distributed abroad partly to enable the authorities to save face. Solaris (1972), had an easier ride, being acclaimed by many in Europe and North America as the Soviet answer to Kubrick's '2001' (though Tarkovsky himself was never too fond of his own film nor Kubrick's), but he ran into official trouble again with Mirror (1975), a dense, personal web of autobiographical memories with a radically innovative plot structure. Stalker (1979) had to be completely reshot on a dramatically reduced budget after an accident in the laboratory destroyed the first version, and after Nostalghia (1983), shot in Italy (with official approval), Tarkovsky defected to Europe. His last film, The Sacrifice (1986) was shot in Sweden with many of Ingmar Bergman's regular collaborators, and won an almost unprecedented four prizes at the Cannes Film Festival. He died of lung cancer at the end of the year. Two years later link=Sergei Parajanov dedicated his film Ashik Kerib to Tarkovsky.- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Stanislav Govorukhin was born on 29 March 1936 in Berezniki, Russian SFSR, USSR [now Perm Krai, Russia]. He was a director and writer, known for The End of a Beautiful Epoch (2015), The Rifleman of the Voroshilov Regiment (1999) and Weekend [Uik-end] (2013). He was married to Galina Govorukhina and Yunona Kareva. He died on 14 June 2018 in Barvikha, Moskovskaya oblast, Russia.- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Eldar Aleksandrovich Ryazanov was born on November 18, 1927 in Samara, Russia. He graduated with honors from the Soviet State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) in 1950, as a film director. He was making documentaries for five years. In 1955 Ryazanov came to work at the Mosfilm Studios under the direction of Ivan Pyrev, who produced Ryazanov's first feature film 'Karnavalnaya Noch' (Carnival in Moscow, 1956). It was an instant box office hit starring Lyudmila Gurchenko and Igor Ilyinsky.
Ryazanov's early comedies 'Devushka bez adresa' (1957), 'Gusarskaya ballada' (1962), 'Dayte zhalobnuyu knigu' (1963) were popular in the time of the cultural "Thaw" which was initiated by Nikita Khrushchev. However Ryazanov's film 'Chelovek niotkuda' (1961) was banned by the Soviet censorship, regardless of the fine acting by Sergey Yurskiy and Anatoliy Papanov. 'Beregis avtomobilya' (Watch Out for the Automobile, 1966) is arguably the most popular of Ryazanov's comedies. In that film Ryazanov worked with the stellar cast, including such actors, as Innokenti Smoktunovsky , Oleg Yefremov, Anatoli Papanov, Georgi Zhzhyonov, Yevgeni Yevstigneyev, Andrei Mironov (I), Olga Aroseva, Donatas Banionis, and other Russian film stars. The music score for the film was written by the brilliant composer Andrey Petrov.
Ryazanov created his own style of lyrical comedy with a soft satire on the Soviet life. His 'Zigzag udachi', with Evgeniy Leonov in the leading role, was a nice fairy tale for the Soviet people. 'Stariki-razboyniki', starring Yuriy Nikulin, Evgeniy Evstigneev, and Andrey Mironov was a crime-parody. His extremely popular TV-movie 'Ironiya sidby, ili S lyogkim parom!' (Irony of Fate, 1975 TV) was a big hit of the 70's and later turned into a nostalgic cult. It is shown every New Year's Eve as a tradition in the former Soviet Union. Actors Andrey Myagkov, Yuriy Yakovlev, Barbara Brylska, and Aleksandr Shirvindt are working together as one acting ensemble. Two years later Ryazanov directed another hit, 'Sluzhebny roman' (1977), where Andrei Myagkov made a nice duet with 'Alisa Freindlikh'.
Eldar Ryazanov wrote and directed 'Garazh' (1979). Ryazanov delivers a dazzling array of Soviet characters and situations in this film, ranging from funny, bitter, and sarcastic, to greedy, manipulative, and scary stupid. In somewhat a departure from comedy, Ryazanov brings the theme of "Gulag" prison-camp in 'Vokzal dlya dvoikh' (1982). Still the film is full of Ryazanov's warm humor and also benefits from the performances of Lyudmila Gurchenko and Oleg Basilashvili. 'Ruthless Romance' (1984) is the Ryazanov's adaptation of the 19th century story by 'Aleksandr Ostrovsky'. His latest film is Andersen. Zhizn bez lyubvi (2006).- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Sergei Bondarchuk was one of the most important Russian filmmakers, best known for directing an Academy Award-winning film epic War and Peace (1965), based on the book by Lev Tolstoy, in which he also starred as Pierre Bezukhov.
He was born Sergei Fedorovich Bondarchuk on September, 25, 1920, in the village of Belozerka, Kherson province, Ukraine, Russian Federation (now Belozerka, Ukraine). He was brought up in Southern Ukraine, then in Azov and Taganrog, Southern Russia. Young Bondarchuk was fond of theatre and books by such authors as Anton Chekhov and Lev Tolstoy. He made his stage debut in 1937, on the stage of the Chekhov Drama Theatre in the city of Taganrog, then studied acting at Rostov Theatrical School. In 1942 his studies were interrupted by the Nazi invasion during WWII. Bondarchuk was recruited in the Red Army and served for four years until he was discharged in 1946. From 1946 - 1948 he attended the State Institute of Cinematography in Moscow (VGIK), graduating as an actor from the class of Sergey Gerasimov. In 1948 he made his film debut in Povest o nastoyashchem cheloveke (1948) then co-starred in The Young Guard (1948).
For his portrayal of the title character in Taras Shevchenko (1951) he was awarded the State Stalin's Prize of the USSR, and was designated People's Artist of the USSR, becoming the youngest actor ever to receive such honor. Then he starred in the internationally renowned adaptation of the Shakespeare's Othello (1956), in the title role opposite Irina Skobtseva as Desdemona. Bondarchuk expressed his own experience as a soldier of WWII when he starred in The Destiny of a Man (1959), a war drama based on the eponymous story by Mikhail Sholokhov, which was also Bondarchuk's directorial debut that earned him the prestigious Lenin's Prize of the USSR in 1960.
Bondarchuk shot to international fame with War and Peace (1965), a powerful adaptation of the eponymous masterpiece by Lev Tolstoy. The 7-hour-long film epic won the 1969 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and brought Bondarchuk a reputation of one of the finest directors of his generation. The most expensive project in film history, War and Peace (1965) was produced over seven years, from 1961 to 1968, at an estimated cost of $100,000,000 (over $800,000,000 adjusted for inflation in 2010). The film set several records, such as involving over three hundred professional actors from several countries and also tens of thousands extras from the Red Army in filming of the 3rd two-hour-long episode about the historic Battle of Borodino against the Napoleon's invasion, making it the largest battle scene ever filmed. Bondarchuk also made history by introducing several remote-controlled cameras that were moving on 300 meter long wires above the scene of the battlefield. Having earned international acclaim for War and Peace (1965), he starred in the epic The Battle of Neretva (1969) with fellow Russian, Yul Brynner, and Orson Welles, whom he would direct the following year.
By the late 1960s Bondarchuk was one of the most awarded actor and director in the Soviet Union. However, he was still not a member of the Soviet Communist Party, a fact that brought attention from the Soviet leadership under Leonid Brezhnev. Soon Bondarchuk received an official recommendation to join the Soviet Communist Party, an offer that nobody in the Soviet Union could refuse without risking a career. At that time he was humorously comparing his situation with the historic Hollywood trials of filmmakers during the 50s. Bondarchuk was able to avoid the Communist Party in his earlier career, but things changed in the Soviet Union under Brezhnev, so in 1970, he accepted the trade-off and joined the Soviet Communist Party for the sake of protecting his film career. In 1971 he was elected Chairman of the Union of Filmmakers, a semi-government post in the Soviet system of politically controlled culture. Eventually he evolved into a politically controlled figure and turned to making such politically charged films as Red Bells (1982) and other such films. Later, during the liberalization of the Soviet Union under Mikhail Gorbachev, Bondarchuk was seen as a symbol of conservatism in Soviet cinema, so in 1986 he was voted out of the office.
Bondarchuk was the first Russian director to make a big budget international co-production with the financial backing of Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis, such as Waterloo (1970), a Russian-Italian co-production vividly reconstructing the final battle of the Napoleonic Wars. This was his first English-language production, but several Soviet actors were cast, e.g. Sergo Zakariadze and Oleg Vidov. In this film, Orson Welles, his co-star in The Battle of Neretva (1969) made a cameo as the old King Louis XVII of France. But this time Bondarchuk was unable to control the advances of Rod Steiger, and the film was a commercial flop in Europe and America, albeit it gained the favor of critics.
After his dismissal from the office of Chairman of the Union of Cinematographers he started filming Tikhiy Don (2006) based on the eponymous novel by the Nobel Prize winner Mikhail Sholokhov, with Rupert Everett as the lead. At the end of filming, just before post-production, Bondarchuk learned about some unfavorable details in his contract, causing a bitter dispute with the producers over the rights to the film and bringing much pain to the last two years of his life. Amidst this legal battle the production was stopped and the film was stored in a bank vault, and remained unedited and undubbed for nearly fourteen years. The production was completed by Russian television company "First Channel", and aired in November 2006.
In his career that spanned over five decades, Sergei Bondarchuk had credits as actor, director, writer, and co-producer in a wide range of films. He suffered a heart attack and died on October 20, 1994, and was laid to rest in Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow, Russia, next to such Russian luminaries as Anton Chekhov and Mikhail A. Bulgakov. His death caused a considerable mourning in Russia. Bondarchuk was survived by his second wife, actress Irina Skobtseva and their children, actress Alyona Bondarchuk, and actor/director Fedor Bondarchuk, and actress Natalya Bondarchuk, his daughter with his first wife, actress Inna Makarova.
As a tribute to Sergei Bondarchuk, his son, Fedor Bondarchuk called him "a father and my teacher," and dedicated his directorial debut, 9th Company (2005), set in war-torn Afghanistan, whereas Sergei's directorial debut was set in WWII.- Director
- Writer
- Actress
Valeriya Gay Germanika (born on March 1, 1984, Moscow, USSR) - a Russian film director. Guild member of the Filmmakers Union of the Russian Federation. Graduated from the School of Cinematography and Television "Internews" in 2008. General director of the film company "Leosfilm". Was awarded with "Nika" and "Discovery of the Year" awards (2008), Jeunes Prize of the Cannes Film Festival (2008), "CineVision" of the International Film Festival in Munich (2008), "Silver George" award for the best directing at the Moscow International Film Festival (2014).- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Aleksey Balabanov was born on 25 February 1959 in Sverdlovsk, Sverdlovskaya oblast, RSFSR, USSR [now Ekaterinburg, Russia]. He was a director and writer, known for Brother (1997), Cargo 200 (2007) and Of Freaks and Men (1998). He was married to Irina ? and Nadezhda Vasileva. He died on 18 May 2013 in Solnechnoye, Leningradskaya oblast, Russia.- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Timur Bekmambetov is a Kazakh-Russian film director known for vampire franchise Night Watch (2004) and Day Watch (2006).
He was born Timur Nuruakhitovich Bekmambetov on June 25, 1961, in Guryev, Soviet Union (now Atyrau, Kazakhstan). His father, Nuruakhit Bekmambetov, is a manager at Guryev Energy company; his mother, Mira Bogoslavskaya, was a journalist. Young Bekmambetov was raised along the Ural river in Kazakhstan, Soviet Union.
In 1978, aged 17, he moved to Moscow. There from 1978 to 1980 he attended the Moscow Energy Institute, but he was more interested in art and movies. Eventually, he dropped out of college, and joined the cultural milieu around such artists as Anatoli Zverev and Oskar Rabin. Then, from 1982 to 1987 he studied painting at Tashkent Theatrical Art Institute, graduating in 1987 as artist of theatre and film. From 1987 to 1988 he served in the Red Army stationed at artillery division near Ashkhabad, Turkmenistan. Then he worked as set designer at "Ilkhom" Drama Theatre in Tashkent, and at Uzbek Film Studio.
Since 1989 he has been directing commercials. In 1992 Bekmambetov made his directorial and writing debut with Peshawar Waltz (1994), a film about the Soviet war in Afghanistan which received awards at several festivals in Europe. From 1992 to 1997 he made 18 commercials for the Russian bank "Imperial" and was named best young director of 1997 by Russian Film Academy. In 1999 he started his own film company, Bazelevs Production.
His big break came with the success of the vampire franchise Night Watch (2004) and Day Watch (2006), which he directed during 2003 - 2005. Both films became international blockbusters, and received several awards and nominations. The third installment, Twilight Watch (2009), is slated for release in 2009.
Since 2005, Bekmambetov has been working in Hollywood, writing, directing and producing several flicks, such as Wanted (2008), 9 (2009), and The Red Star. Back in Russia, he made another success directing The Irony of Fate 2 (2007), a romantic comedy based on the Soviet era characters and capitalizing on nostalgia among some of the post-Soviet audiences.
Timur Bekmambetov established himself as a master of dense narrative. His films often surprise the viewers with eerie details, hectic pace and unusual twists and turns, and remain a challenge even for experienced audiences.- Director
- Writer
- Actor
He was born with a disability because of an anatomic defect of his leg, in 1951 in Podorvikha village in Siberian Russia. His father was a Red Army veteran of WW2. One of most important contemporary filmmakers, Sokurov worked extensively in television and later graduated from the prestigious film school, VGIK, in 1979. His films often created tensions with the Soviet authorities but he received great support from such outstanding film masters as Andrei Tarkovsky. Particularly, after the collapse of the regime, Sokurov's films started earning him numerous awards around the world. While most known for his feature films, Sokurov has directed over 20 interesting documentaries. His 2002 sensational "Russian Ark" is a historic achievement that will be watched and talked about by many generations.
Sokurov has collected a number of awards at Berlin, Cannes, Moscow, Toronto, Locarno and European Film Awards. He lives and works in Russia.- Writer
- Director
- Cinematographer
Born in 1991 in Nalchik, capital of the Autonomous Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria, in the North Caucasus, Kantemir Balagov leaves the city for Stavropol where he undertakes studies in economics. But the twenty-three-year-old man's interest is elsewhere and, while being passionate about photography, he decides to join the film department of the Nalchik University founded and directed by Alexander Sokurov. There, he directs three short films, including the documentary "Andriouchka" (2014) and "Me first" (2015), his graduation work. His first feature film, "Tesnota - A Cramped Life", inspired by a real news item (the kidnapping of a fiancée on the eve of her wedding), stands out for its bitter, very personal style and its sense of space (everything is cramped, as the subtitle indicates). This atypical film has earned him the Fipresci Prize at Cannes in 2017 as well as the Grand Jury Prize and the Award for Best Actress at the Premiers Plans Film Festival in Angers in 2018. His second feature, "Beanpole", even more ambitious in that it is a period drama, set in Leningrad in 1945, is the riveting account of the friendship binding two women trying hard to re-adapt to civilian life. This major work won the Best Direction Award at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival in the "Un Certain regard" section.