Biography of Andrey Zvyagintsev
Andrei Petrovich Zvyagintsev is a Russian director, author of the films “Exile”, “Return”, “Elena”, “Leviathan”, “Loveless”, who is already called a successor to the traditions of Andrei Tarkovsky. In his films, he invariably addresses the theme of the suffering of the human race, often through biblical allusions.
Director Andrey Zvyagintsev
Childhood and family of Andrei Zvyagintsev
Born in Novosibirsk, Andrei spent the first few months of his life in the village of Novomikhailovka. His parents divorced, and 5-year-old Andrei stayed to live with his mother, a school teacher of Russian language and literature.
Childhood photo of Andrey Zvyagintsev
Zvyagintsev has been interested in art and literature since his school years. At 16, he enrolled in Lev Belov’s theater studio at the Novosibirsk Youth Theater. Later, on the basis of this studio, Belov completed his course at the local theater school, where Andrei was accepted.
As a sophomore, he played the main role in the Youth Theater production of “I Don’t Remember.” Upon graduating from college, Andrei was already involved in the productions “Accelerates” and “Nobody Will Believe.” Andrei received his college diploma in 1984. He remained in the Youth Theater. Soon he was drafted into the army. The service took place in the Novosibirsk military ensemble, where Zvyagintsev was the entertainer. Together with the ensemble, he performed at concerts in various garrisons.
In 1986, after returning from the army, Andrei decided to go to Moscow. He entered GITIS, taking the course of Vladimir Levertov and Evgeny Lazarev. There he studied at the acting department.
In the graduation performance based on Turgenev's play, Zvyagintsev played the role of Gorsky. It was 1990. The GITIS graduate decided not to go to the theater.
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 German National Library, Berlin State Library, Bavarian State Library, etc.
Record #132426390 // General regulatory control (GND) - 2012-2016. https://wikidata.org/wikipedia/Track:Q27302″>https://wikidata.org/wikipedia/Track:Q304037″>https://wikidata.org/wikipedia/Track:Q256507″>https://wikidata .org/wikipedia/Track:Q170109″>https://wikidata.org/wikipedia/Track:Q36578″> - ↑ 12
Andrey Zvyagintsev. The Art of Love Archived copy from January 20, 2015 on the Wayback Machine // Cosmopolitan Magazine, January 24, 2008 - Star profile: Andrey Zvyagintsev (unspecified)
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Magazine 7 days
. - Natalia Murga.
Favorite women of director Zvyagintsev
(unspecified)
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Komsomolskaya Pravda
(February 4, 2015). - Andrey Zvyagintsev biography, photo, personal life and his wife
- ↑ 1 2
Andrey Zvyagintsev: History of the silkworm
(unspecified)
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Orthodoxy and the world
(May 12, 2011). Retrieved March 10, 2020. - ↑ 12
BBC Russian - Society - Director Andrey Zvyagintsev: from janitors to Cannes laureates - Maria Vardenga.
Outsider (Russian) // Brownie: magazine. — 2003. - KinoPoisk.ru - All films on the planet
- Zvyagintsev with the film “Loveless” received the jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival
- Zvyagintsev will join the jury of the 71st Cannes Film Festival
- Zvyagintsev will direct the series for Paramount studio (unspecified)
. snob.ru. Retrieved January 12, 2020. - All shades of censorship. Why Konstantin Raikin’s speech became an event, Gazeta.ru (October 25, 2016). Retrieved October 27, 2016.
- Kommersant, October 26, 2020. Bad dream of government orders. Director Andrei Zvyagintsev on whether the state can interfere in the work of an artist
- “A demon beguiled a motorcyclist”: the Kremlin called on the Surgeon to apologize to Raikin for insults, NEWSru.com (October 27, 2016). Retrieved October 27, 2020.
- Raikin called for protecting exhibitions and performances from “offended groups”, Rosbusinessconsulting (October 24, 2016). Retrieved October 27, 2020.
- The Kremlin responded to Raikin’s call to rid art of censorship, Rosbusinessconsulting (October 25, 2016). Retrieved October 27, 2020.
- Peskov invited the “motorcyclist” Surgeon to apologize to Raikin, Rosbusinessconsulting (October 27, 2016). Retrieved October 27, 2020.
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guest workers were shown at Kinotavr . www.mk.ru. Retrieved February 24, 2020. - Natalia MURGA |
JSC Publishing House "Komsomolskaya Pravda". Favorite women of director Zvyagintsev
(unspecified)
. Natalia MURGA | JSC Publishing House "Komsomolskaya Pravda". Retrieved February 24, 2020. - Yaroslav Timofeev.
Andrey Zvyagintsev: “If I am a spy, then only a Russian one”
(unspecified)
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Izvestia
(February 20, 2015). Retrieved October 27, 2020. - Andrey Zvyagintsev.
Bad dream of government order
(unspecified)
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Kommersant
(26.10.2016). Retrieved October 27, 2020. - The Greatest Films Poll 2012 — Andrey Zvyagintsev Sight & Sound
- Upcoming film by Andrei Zvyagintsev (unspecified)
. - Director Andrei Zvyagintsev celebrates his 50th anniversary today - Culture - MK
- Film Festival Ghent 2011
- All the 70th Festival de Cannes Awards (English), Festival de Cannes 2017
(28 May 2017). Retrieved May 29, 2020. - Zvyagintsev’s film “Loveless” received the Grand Prix at the Munich Film Festival, Moscow: RIA Novosti (July 1, 2017). Retrieved July 4, 2017.
- “Russian of the Year” on the website of the Russian Academy of Business and Entrepreneurship
- https://www.gq.ru/awards/moty/2017/director-2017
The beginning of the career of actor Andrei Zvyagintsev, filmography
Sometimes Andrei starred in episodes of television series and filmed commercials. The actor starred in the TV series “Let’s Get Acquainted”, “Goryachev and Others”, “Kamenskaya”, and was also involved in the films “Shirley-Myrli” and “Kitten”. During the decade spent in Moscow, he took part in only two enterprise productions. In 1993 it was the play “Hopscotch Game”, and in 1997 – the play “A Month in the Country”. As Zvyagintsev himself admitted in an interview, in the nineties there was a time when he did not even have enough money to travel on the subway.
Director Andrei Zvyagintsev has many awards for his films
Zvyagintsev attracted attention with the commercials he shot. It should be noted that he created advertising without having a directing education. Dmitry Lesnevsky, who at that time was the producer of the television channel Ren TV, is precisely the person through whose suggestion the whole world soon recognized Zvyagintsev.
Controversy around censorship of creativity in Russia
In October 2020, Zvyagintsev took part in a debate about censorship of creativity in Russia, during which he argued with the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov. The public discussion began with criticism of theater director Konstantin Raikin, who at the congress of the Union of Theater Workers of Russia was outraged by the increasing attacks by activists on exhibitions and performances. Three high-profile events in Russia were named: the removal of the opera “Tannhäuser” from the repertoire at the Novosibirsk Opera House, the disruption of the performance of the rock performance “Jesus Christ Superstar” at the Omsk opera, the closing of the exhibition of the world famous American photographer Jock Sturges “Without” at the Lumiere Brothers Center in Moscow. embarrassment”, which included photographs of girls and women from nudist communities. Raikin described these phenomena as “a return to Russia of the shameful censorship of Stalin’s time.” Commenting on the criticism, Peskov agreed with the inadmissibility of censorship, but at the same time confirmed a special procedure for productions and works that are staged and filmed at the expense of the budget: “The state orders
works of art on a particular topic.”
Zvyagintsev objected to Putin’s press secretary by publishing a column in the Kommersant newspaper, in which he called the works of his opponents “pathetic crafts” and “propaganda,” and the public who objected to some works as “public organizations that have multiplied like rabbits” and “aggressive marginals.” According to Zvyagintsev, officials “castrate creative thought” with their “orders.” of state orders
formulated by Peskov [13], which boils down to the fact that officials spend state money on films and performances in the interests of the state itself, also caused rejection. In Peskov’s concept, the film director was struck by the forgetfulness of officials, “that this is not their money, but ours... These people decided that they are the ones who know what the people need, and they use their money to order their pathetic crafts”[14][15][16][ 17][18].
Directorial debut of Andrey Zvyagintsev
Andrey made his debut as a director on Ren TV.
He made a film as part of a cycle called “The Black Room”. These were short stories “Choice”, “Bushido” and “Obscure”. About the film “Return” by Zvyagintsev In 2003, viewers were able to appreciate the full-length film by Zvyagintsev. He called it "The Return". As critics later noted, the plot develops slowly. The film has long close-ups and landscapes. This is unusual for modern cinema. However, the director said in an interview that this is how he feels the world, these are the rhythms of life that he feels. This is what Zvyagintsev sought to show the viewer, so that sitting in front of the screen, people would feel that this is exactly how life flows. “Cinema in detail” about the film “Exile.” Critics and distributors had previously dubbed this film undistributable, believing that it would be uninteresting to the general public. However, in the first two weeks of release alone, two hundred and sixty thousand dollars were collected. The budget was less than half a million dollars. The director is considered a phenomenon, since, having released his first full-length film, he received two Golden Lions for it and was nominated for an Oscar. Thirty-two countries purchased the film for distribution.
So “The Return” became the film sensation of the year. The director received twenty-eight awards for this film at world festivals. “The Return” was watched by viewers in seventy-three countries.
Film by Andrey Zvyagintsev “Exile”
Zvyagintsev made his next film in 2007.
Its title is “Exile.” Critics again reacted favorably to the director's work. The film was recognized as the best film of the Russian program at the Moscow festival. Andrey Zvyagintsev - Mystery [Experiment 5ive] The main role was played by Konstantin Lavronenko. The actor received the Palme d'Or for this role in Cannes. This male role was recognized as the best by the film festival. It should be noted that Lavronenko also played in Zvyagintsev’s first film, “Return.” In 2011, Zvyagintsev shot his third film. This is the social drama "Elena". The premiere took place at the Cannes Film Festival. The director received the Un Certain Regard prize. This directorial work was also awarded at the Sundance Film Festival.
Director Andrei Zvyagintsev is working on new films today
In 2014, the film “Leviathan” was released, which caused a great resonance in society, won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Oscar in the category “Best Foreign Film”. The main roles were played by Elena Lyadova, Alexey Serebryakov, Vladimir Vdovichenkov, Roman Madyanov and others.
This is a story about residents of a village beyond the Arctic Circle (filming took place in the village of Teriberka, Murmansk region). The main character is an auto mechanic who works honestly and raises his son from his first wife. At one point, his life breaks down: his wife cheats on him with his friend, his son accuses him of hating his late mother, and his house and land are encroached upon by a local bureaucrat, ready to fabricate a criminal case for the sake of a tidbit of real estate.
Still from Zvyagintsev’s film “Leviathan”
After the premiere of “Leviathan,” viewers were divided into two camps. Someone accused the director of hating Russia, but the majority still agreed that Zvyagintsev only exposed Russian realities: thriving corruption, a declining province, the hopelessness and insignificance of the life of an ordinary citizen.
Directing
Andrei Zvyagintsev’s professional career began with playing episodic roles in serial films and commercials. Before that, he tried to write scripts and stories, but could not achieve the desired result. In subsequent years, Zvyagintsev’s filmography began to rapidly expand. Having become fascinated by the film industry, Andrey began to carefully research retrospectives of outstanding directors Akira Kurosawa, Jean-Luc Godard, Ingmar Bergman and Michelangelo Antonioni at the Museum of Cinema.
Andrey Zvyagintsev in his youth
Moscow does not believe in tears. Zvyagintsev did not disdain the profession of a janitor, which made it possible to use official housing in the immediate vicinity of the Mayakovsky Theater. Andrei’s temporary residence was an old, dilapidated mansion from 1825, where the filmmaker had a room of 50 square meters.
On the eve of 2000, Zvyagintsev made his debut as a director. The television channel RenTV presented the first films of the aspiring screenwriter and director. As part of the television series, viewers watched the short stories “Obscure” and “Choice.” In 2003, Zvyagintsev’s full-length film “Return” appeared on screens with a bright, exciting storyline.
Trailer for the film “Return” by Andrey Zvyagintsev
The plot of the film aims to demonstrate true human life. Slow shots with long landscapes and close-ups received mixed reviews. Critics then noted that such an interpretation is not characteristic of modern times, to which Zvyagintsev replied: he feels the world exactly like this, and the rhythm of life occurs in a similar way to the plot.
In the film, the director promoted the goal of showing the viewer the real course of life. The public liked the film so much that a year later a photo collection by Vladimir Mishukov, who worked as a photographer on the set, was published.
Andrey Zvyagintsev on the set of the film “Return”
The unfavorable forecasts of film critics and distributors did not come true. During 2 weeks of theatrical release, box office receipts exceeded $260 thousand with a film budget of less than $1.5 million. Zvyagintsev was called a phenomenal director. Of course, because the film, unrecognized by critics, simultaneously received 2 Golden Lion awards, was nominated for an international Oscar and was released in 32 countries.
As a result, “The Return” became a sensation, winning 28 awards at world film festivals; Andrei’s work was appreciated by viewers in 73 countries.
Andrey Zvyagintsev in Cannes
In 2008, Zvyagintsev became a participant in a cult project called a declaration of love for the major cities of the world - Paris, Shanghai, Havana, Rio de Janeiro and others. Natalie Portman and Gerard Depardieu, Alfonso Cuaron and the Coen brothers, Benicio Del Toro and Emir Kusturica were honored to participate in the creation of films set in these megacities.
The director was allocated $150 thousand and only a day for filming, the number of actors and footage of the film were limited, and the story was given 5 minutes on screen. The Russian director shot a short film for the anthology “New York, I Love You.”
Director Andrey Zvyagintsev
However, the films presented by Andrei and Scarlett Johansson were cut out during the final editing of the film collection as non-format. The decision was made by a focus group of 200 people, which surprised Zvyagintsev.
The original version, including Andrei Zvyagintsev's episode "Apocrypha", was shown at the Toronto festival in the same 2008. Later, the director will say that a film made to order, with strict regulations and approval of the script by the project producers, is a bad idea. And if they offer something like that again, he will refuse 99%.
Trailer for the film “Exile” by Andrey Zvyagintsev
The next breakthrough in the film industry was the psychological drama "Exile", which received the favor of critics without any predictions for the future. Immediately after filming, the author applied for participation in the Cannes Film Festival. At the largest film forum, the film was awarded in the category “Best Actor”, and was recognized as the best at the Moscow Film Festival. The main role in this production was played by actor Konstantin Lavronenko, who had previously collaborated with Andrey on the filming of the film “Return”.
Trailer for the film “Elena” by Andrey Zvyagintsev
In 2011, another successful film by the already recognized director Zvyagintsev was released. The social drama film “Elena” was again presented in Cannes, where the author received a special prize “Un Certain Regard”, and was later recognized at another festival - Sandens. The film became the best work of the year, winning 4 Golden Eagle and Nika awards. However, the director’s loudest and truly sensational work was ahead - the film “Leviathan”, presented to the audience in 2014.
“Leviathan” is a modern interpretation of the story of the biblical character Job, telling the story of a man whose life is consumed by the state and bureaucracy. After successfully storming the Cannes Film Festival and the Golden Globe Award, the film was nominated for an Oscar.
Trailer for the film “Leviathan” by Andrey Zvyagintsev
The film stars Russian theater and cinema stars: Alexey Serebryakov, Vladimir Vdovichenkov, Elena Lyadova. The storm of criticism did not subside for a long time. The picture literally blew up social networks and news columns. Angry rebuke rained down from representatives of the authorities and the Orthodox Church.
The fate of the film was in the dark until the last moment; Leviathan was not allowed into mass release. As Andrei Zvyagintsev himself notes, “apparently, the film hit the very center, the very heart, exactly where it was supposed to go.”
Trailer for the film “Loveless” by Andrey Zvyagintsev
In January, a pirated copy of “Leviathan” was leaked onto the Internet; the number of downloads exceeded 1.5 million. The film crew had no idea how much of a stir there would be among the audience. More than 650 cinemas have requested copies to show in their auditoriums.
At the 70th anniversary festival on the Cote d'Azur, Zvyagintsev presented his next project - “Dislike” with Maryana Spivak, Alexey Rozin and Matvey Novikov. The film about a boy who turns out to be unwanted by his parents was awarded the third most important award - the Jury Prize, the Cesar, and was nominated for the Golden Globe, Oscar and BAFTA.
Personal life of Andrey Zvyagintsev
The director was married to actress Irina Grineva for six years. Now Grineva is married again; her husband is figure skater Maxim Shabalin.
Irina Grineva, ex-wife of director Zvyagintsev
The director's second wife is editor Anna Matveeva. In 2009, the couple had a son, Peter.
In the photo: Andrey Zvyagintsev and Anna Matveeva
In September 2020, the media reported the Zvyagintsevs’ divorce. Since the director leads a secluded life, the information got to the press through third parties.
