Biography
Dina Korzun is a Russian theater and film actress who amazed Russian audiences back in the late 90s, after playing the role of the deaf-mute girl Yaya in the drama “Country of the Deaf.” For this work, the actress received several national and international film awards, including the Nika and Golden Aries awards.
Dina Korzun
The role determined the future direction of the actress’s activities. Today she is the founder of the largest Russian charitable foundation, Podari Zhizn.
Creativity[edit | edit code]
Roles in the theater[edit | edit code]
- “Buried Child” (graduation performance) - Sally
- “Love in Crimea” by Mrozhek - Tatyana Borodina
- “The Thunderstorm” by A. N. Ostrovsky - Katerina
[14] - “Crime and Punishment” by F. M. Dostoevsky - Sonya Marmeladova
- "The Miracle of St. Anthony" by Maeterlinck - Virginia
- “Retribution was accumulating somewhere” by A. Volodina - maid
- “I Can’t Imagine What Tomorrow Will Happen” by T. Williams - She
- Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream - Helen
- "Gold" - Malia
[15]
Filmography[edit | edit code]
Acting works[edit | edit code]
- 1998 - Country of the Deaf - Yaya
- 2000 - The President and his granddaughter - Tanya
- 2000 - Citizen Chief - Larisa Lushnikova
- 2000 - Last Resort / Last Resort
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Tanya - 2002 - Binge Theory - Svetik
- 2002 - Road - Anna
- 2003 - No matter how it is - Marina
- 2005 - Forty Shades of Sadness / Forty Shades of Blue
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Lara - 2005 - Women's novel - Zhenya
- 2007 - Cook - Lena
- 2008 - The Brothers Karamazov - Katerina Khokhlakova
- 2008 - Subscriber temporarily unavailable - Lana
- 2009 - Farewell affair / L'affaire Farewell
(France) -
Alina - 2009 - Crossing
- 2009 - Mediator / Mediator
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wife of an assassin - 2009 - Frozen Souls / Cold Souls
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Nina - 2009 - Russian Cross - Maria
- 2012 - After school - Zara, Frida’s mother, artist
- 2013 - It all started in Harbin - Matryona Ivanovna, mother of Boris and Volodya Eibozhenko
- 2015 - Londongrad - Maja Alksne
- 2016 - Peaky Blinders (season 3) - Isabella Petrovna Romanova
- 2017 - Son - Masha
Script work[edit | edit code]
- 2004 - Marfa
Producer work[edit | edit code]
- 2004 - Marfa (co-producer)
Childhood and youth
Dina Aleksandrovna Korzun calls her childhood happy and serene. She was born in April 1971 in Smolensk. And although the girl was raised by one mother, life seemed wonderful to Dina. The small family lived in a spacious communal apartment that united strangers into one friendly family. The children visited each other, organized joint concerts, at which all adult residents of the communal apartment were required to gather, not allowing them to miss the performance under any pretext.
Dina Korzun in her youth
The young artists organized their concerts according to all the rules: chairs in several rows, tickets cut from postcards indicating the date and place, circus and variety acts in abundance, an intermission and a buffet.
Dina Korzun’s mother combined work as a safety engineer at a hosiery factory with constant study: first at a technical school, then at an institute.
Dina was a gifted child. She drew beautifully, so her mother took her daughter to art school. There the girl mastered the techniques of graphics, sculpture and painting. Dina Korzun also studied ballet and attended a modern dance studio, so still, with a height of 170 cm, her weight does not exceed 60 kg.
Dina Korzun in her student years
After receiving secondary education, she studied for a year at the art graphics department of the local pedagogical institute. But soon painting classes ceased to bring joy to the girl. Dina Korzun dropped out of university and went to Moscow. On her first try, she entered the Moscow Art Theater School and was enrolled in Alla Pokrovskaya’s course.
Home life
Dina Korzun, whose personal life has always been full of meetings and partings, is married for the third time. Her last marriage to the lead singer of the popular Esthetic Education group, Louis Frank, was considered by many to be an ordinary misalliance. How did a rich Belgian and Dina Korzun, still little known in the 90s, meet? The biography and personal life of the future movie star back in 1995 was tightly connected with the Moscow Art Theater School, where Louis Frank also studied. They met at one of the student parties and never parted. In 1999, the young people got married in Geneva.
The family life of the actress and musician can hardly be called bright. Professional people always have a need to realize their talents. That’s why the couple often breaks up because of Dina’s filming and Louis’s tours. Life in several states and cities is not easy, but the spouses adore each other very much, which provides them with a strong alliance. Dina Korzun is the mother of three children: son Timur (b. 1990) and daughters Itala (b. 2008) and Sofia (b. 2010). Dina spends a huge part of her time in her own house in London. In her free moments, she draws and does embroidery.
Theater
A cinematic biography of Dina Korzun started in 1994, when the girl was in her penultimate year at the Moscow Art Theater. The aspiring actress made her debut in the short film “She’s Inside the Walls.” Dina's theatrical career began simultaneously with her cinematic one. Theatergoers first saw the actress on the stage of the Moscow Art Theater in the production of “Love in Crimea.”
After graduating from a theater university, Korzun was accepted into the troupe of the Moscow Art Theater named after A.P. Chekhov. The aspiring artist was incredibly lucky: she didn’t have to start from scratch and go through the crowd. Almost immediately, the girl began to be trusted with major roles. She played Katerina in The Thunderstorm and Sonya Marmeladova in Crime and Punishment.
Dina Korzun in the theater
However, Dina Korzun quickly felt disappointed. She no longer believed that theater artists had a special mission in society. When she went on stage and saw the faces of the high school students who were forcibly brought to watch “The Thunderstorm,” she wanted to run away.
At first, the artist tried to “give her all” in order to send the young audience some kind of spiritual impulse, captivate them with the play and convey the essence of the play. But I soon realized that nothing was happening. The tenth graders yawned and looked forward to intermission so they could escape. They wanted to go to a bar or a disco, and what was happening on stage caused boredom.
Actress Dina Korzun
In 2000, Dina Korzun left the theater. She returned to the stage later when she moved to London. In 2007, the Russian actress appeared on the stage of the Royal National Theater in London. In some performances she not only plays, but is also a producer.
Beginning of an actress's career
After graduating from university, Dina Korzun joined the Moscow Art Theater.
From the very first days, she was simply literally inundated with different roles. The young actress grabbed onto any of them and worked constantly. While still a 4th year student at the Moscow Art Theater School, she made her debut in the role of Lyubochka in S. Mrozhek’s production of “Love in Crimea.” For her, she received a prize at the Moscow Debuts festival for best actress. Dina's talent allowed her to play Katerina in Ostrovsky's The Thunderstorm. Along with theatrical works, Korzun began to appear in her first film roles. Her debut took place in 1994 in the parable film by M. Podyapolskaya “She is inside the walls.” Despite several other notable works of the actress in cinema, during these years few film fans knew about her. Everything changed after the release of V. Todorovsky’s film “Country of the Deaf.”
Movies
Dina Korzun was much more comfortable on the set. Cinema brought her recognition and a sense of satisfaction from her favorite work. In 1998, Valery Todorovsky’s cult film “Country of the Deaf” was released, which gave the artist the love and appreciation of the public. The role of a girl named Yaya brought the young actress a number of prestigious awards, among which the most striking are the Nika Award, Stars of Tomorrow and Golden Aries for a successful film debut.
Dina Korzun and Chulpan Khamatova in the film “Country of the Deaf”
Dina Korzun woke up famous. At first, after the release of the film, she had to give 6 interviews a day. She said that the role of a deaf dancer turned out to be difficult, but extremely interesting. Before starting work, she was consulted by a sign language interpreter. I also had to spend a lot of time in a boarding school for deaf children. The actress wanted to understand how people who hear only silence live, feel and think.
After “Country of the Deaf,” Dina Korzun was not offered new bright roles. The actress appeared in episodes of the films “The President and His Granddaughter”, “The Diary of His Wife”, “Citizen Chief”.
Dina Korzun in the film “The President and His Granddaughter”
A few years later, the actress waited for a good and “deep” project. But he turned out to be foreign. Polish-British producer and director Paweł Pawlikowski offered Korzun a role in his film Last Resort. Dina has reincarnated as a Russian girl, Tanya, who, together with her son, decides to move to her foreign fiance, but the young man never shows up for the meeting at the English airport. The girl has to go to a refugee camp.
The film received European recognition and prestigious prizes. Dina Korzun was also showered with awards at festivals in London, Bratislava and Gijon. But this wonderful picture about the fate of an emigrant from Russia was never shown in her homeland.
Actress Dina Korzun
Later, a number of Russian projects appeared in the artist’s filmography. This is the drama “The Road”, where Gosha Kutsenko and Natalya Petrova became her partners. Together with Konstantin Khabensky, Dina starred in the melodrama “A Woman’s Romance”, and with Yaroslav Boyko in the film “The Theory of Binge.”
In the social drama “Kuka,” Korzun played the heroine Lena, who meets a 6-year-old girl living alone. The child, after a series of incidents, becomes her adopted daughter. This was followed by work in the melodramatic series “Subscriber Temporarily Unavailable” and the film adaptation of “The Brothers Karamazov”.
Dina Korzun in the film “Forty Shades of Sadness”
Another major and worthy role, played by Dina Korzun, went to her in 2004. This is an American psychological drama directed by Hollywood director Ira Sachs “Forty Shades of Sadness”. The actress played a Russian girl who lives in the American wilderness. Dina got the main role. She appeared on screen with famous artist Rip Torn. The film was awarded the Grand Prix at the famous Sundance Film Festival, and Korzun became a nominee at the Independent Spirit Film Festival.
The artist admitted that she dreamed of playing “a gallery of bright and powerful images.” But she was not offered such roles in her homeland. But abroad, the career of Dianna Korzun-Frank (her full name) is developing successfully. She starred in the films Frozen Souls and The Farewell.
Dina Korzun in the series "Peaky Blinders"
Dina also received a cameo role in the German-Georgian film “The Mediator.” Soon the filming of the war film “Russian Cross” followed in Russia, in which Korzun appeared in the role of a village widow. The actress also appeared in the TV series “It All Started in Harbin.” In the film “Son” about the separation of Russian women from their children abroad, she played an activist of the “Russian Mothers of Finland” movement.
In 2015, Dina Korzun starred in the 3rd season of the British TV series Peaky Blinders. In the same year, the artist made a name for herself in her homeland by starring in a small role in the popular TV series Londongrad.
Work in the theater
After Dina’s first successful roles, a series of similar works followed, exploiting the image of a heroine with an unfortunate fate that had stuck to her. The young actress felt that this role prevented her from developing further. That is why in 2000, having received an invitation from director Paul Pawlikowski to star in the UK in the film “Last Resort”, Dina Korzun left Russia. Returning home, she realized that she no longer wanted and could not work in the theater, so she quit. Subsequently, in London, Korzun, who knows English thoroughly, played several roles at the Royal National Theater.
Charity
Dina Korzun is a well-known philanthropist. She worked for several months as a volunteer in one of the orphanages in Nepal. Upon returning to Russia, a fateful meeting between Dina Korzun and Chulpan Khamatova took place at a charity concert. The two film and theater stars have since joined forces to help children with cancer.
Dina Korzun and Chulpan Khamatova
Some time later, Dina Korzun and Chulpan Khamatova founded the “Give Life” foundation. This organization is dedicated to helping children with hematological, oncological and other serious diseases.
Social activities, charity
In addition to participating in film projects and performances, Dina Korzun is actively involved in charity work.
In 2005, the actress signed up as a volunteer and went to Nepal for several months to work in an orphanage.
Together with actress Chulpan Khamatova, in 2006, Dina founded the Gift of Life foundation, and in 2011 it opened a branch in London - Gift for Life. Initially, the charitable foundation was founded to help children suffering from cancer. The scope of his activities is constantly expanding.
Dina Korzun: “Before that, I was just a mother and an actress, and my life was limited by these interests. After founding the foundation, I felt that these boundaries had disappeared. Now I have a sense of unlimited space, empathy and responsibility.
I have always found it natural to think about and help others. This is how my mother raised me. So it’s not like anything new has happened in my life. Our foundation was born from the union of efforts and goodwill of different people. I've been lucky to meet people who think the same way as me.
I became less afraid, because it is very healthy to work hard, help others, protect them. If you think only about yourself, such a selfish life consists of thousands of problems: “I need this and that,” “I can’t cope with this,” and so on. But when you think and care about others, life is filled with joy. And when problems are solved, it inspires and fills us with new strength.”
Personal life
Dina Korzun met her first husband, Ansar Hallulin, in her early youth, when she was studying at the Smolensk Music College. The inexperienced girl mistook the flared feelings for true love. But when the couple lived together for some time, Dina realized that she was in a hurry to get married. At the age of 19, the future star of “Country of the Deaf” gave birth to her first child, Timur. But the child not only did not strengthen the already fragile family ties, but also accelerated the disintegration of the family. When the son was one year old, the marriage broke up.
Dina Korzun with her son
To continue building her career, Dina Korzun went to the capital. But the young mother could not take her tiny son with her into the unknown and an unsettled life. The baby stayed with his grandmother. So that Timur would not forget his mother, his grandmother hung her portrait above his crib. At first, Dina could meet with her son no more than once every 2 months. But when she graduated from a theater university and was hired at the Moscow Art Theater, she immediately took the boy to the capital.
At this time, Dina Korzun’s personal life took another sharp turn. The actress was married for the second time. This time her husband was her colleague Alexey Zuev. And again, misunderstanding and reluctance to give in to each other even in small things played a fatal role: the couple quickly broke up.
Dina Korzun and Alexey Zuev
Dina Korzun met a person with whom she managed to build a real strong and happy family within the walls of her native theater. Louis Frank, a Belgian, arrived in Russia at the invitation of Oleg Tabakov to thoroughly study the Stanislavsky system. The Moscow Art Theater School-Studio was perfect for this. Louis is a talented and multifaceted person. He is a photographer, composer, actor and director, and also the leader of the music group Esthetic Education.
Dina Korzun and Louis Frank
The path to understanding turned out to be difficult. At first, the couple, between whom a spark quickly broke out, tried for a long time to change each other. The adjustment was difficult and was accompanied by quarrels and disagreements. But one day, Dina and Louis realized that if they continued to try to “fit” each other to their standards, they would lose love. And she was already born - they were incredibly drawn to each other. They were burdened by separation when they quarreled. And then the couple agreed to accept each other as they are. Everything fell into place.
Dina Korzun with her husband
Together with her husband, Dina Korzun moved to London, where Louis has an apartment and relatives live. Timur, who met Louis Frank at the age of 4 and got used to him, did not mind either.
In Britain, the couple gave birth to 2 charming girls, who were named Itala and Sophia. The age difference between the sisters and their half-brother is 20 years.
In Britain, Dina Korzun found herself. She continued to act in films, go on stage and remembered her youthful passion for drawing, even completing painting courses at the London Art Academy.
Dina Korzun's daughters Itala and Sophia
Now she knows for sure that the profession of an actress is not the most important thing in her life. She has a lot of interesting activities besides the stage. She enjoys taking care of her family, raising children, taking care of her husband, drawing, and working in a charitable foundation jointly with Chulpan Khamatova. And most importantly, Dina Korzun feels like a happy and self-sufficient person.
Dina Korzun and Louis Frank: “We live like on a volcano”
However, their love story is far from rosy... Our conversation turned out to be very sincere, “like with an old friend whom you love and trust,” I quoted Dina’s words to me after the conversation. Dear words. In 2008, Dina and Louis settled in London, and it was only logical that we did the photo shoot there.
This winter, Dina, I was in London at a charity ball for your and Chulpan Khamatova’s “Gift of Life” foundation. Then I got the impression that you were absolutely integrated into English life. This is true?
Yes it is. But you know, it seems to me that I still live in Moscow. There are more and more of our compatriots in London every day. On the street, many people speak Russian, and in the subway they even come up to me and recognize me. I used to go so happy: no one knows me here. But those times are gone. So now I don’t even consider London to be a foreign country.
And yet, how quickly did you adapt?
The first two years were difficult: different culture, different language. Our girls were born here, schools began, I was very worried and did not understand how to properly exist in this system. For example, in England, children take entrance exams to school at the age of three, go to school at four, and have homework. I wasn't mentally prepared for this.
But Louis was nearby.
Yes, he always helped me a lot. I'm a little girl, and Louis was endlessly patient in answering all my questions. For example, I didn’t understand why you need to dress this way and not another for an evening event, or why you need to send cards or letters when you have a mobile phone. In short, I did not immediately understand these nuances of English life. Louis has known all this since childhood, and I am a bit of a “forest” creature.
Louis: All this is called common sense, “common sense”, which dictates who should do what and at what time. For the British this is par for the course. Each action has its own rules.
And in many ways you yourself do not live by the rules. Look here. In the mid-2000s, I filmed a story about you for my “Who’s There...” program on “Culture”. We talked at home in Moscow, there is a forest and a river nearby. You were absolutely delighted with your apartment, where renovations had just been completed. Dina’s mother was still at home, who was sincerely happy that you finally had your own home and your life had improved. Back then, it seems, you weren’t even thinking about going abroad. Why has everything changed so dramatically?
Dina: In fact, Louis always understood that he was not in Russia for life, that this was not his culture. Although he learned Russian and made a huge number of friends. I think that in Russia and Ukraine there are much more people than here who value him, respect him, who follow his work, his life, who wish him well (Louis is the leader of the Esthetic Education group. - Note OK!
). But one way or another, men intuitively feel what is theirs and what is not. And the woman simply follows the man. In general, when discussing the move, we talked about Australia, Switzerland, Canada - we could go to live anywhere. England seemed like the most logical place for us.
By the time you left for London, how many years had you been together?
D.: Seven years.
Photo: Ekaterina Nikitina
Usually, after seven years of family life, some difficulties appear in relationships, many couples are experiencing a crisis.
L.: My crisis was different: the group in which I performed broke up. But you’re also right about family difficulties. The relationship with Dinulya was then... In general, it was necessary either to separate, or to move to a new level in our relationship.
Apparently, at that time rumors appeared that you had broken up. These rumors surprised me: when we talked, I didn’t feel a shadow of sadness in you.
D.: We actually separated for three months, in 2008. For six years our marriage was so “artistic” - we rarely saw each other. I filmed a lot, and Louis lived and worked mainly in Ukraine, where his musical group was based.
L.: We didn’t have children, and the relationship gradually faded away. But we quickly realized that it was better for us to be together than apart. This is probably why we left for England: I wanted to start life anew, with a clean slate.
In general, England became your saving grace. Here's what's interesting to me. When you decided to separate and began to live independently from each other, did you, Dina, suffer morally or, on the contrary, did you feel that you were freed from some kind of burden of problems?
D.: To answer your question, Vadim, we need to make a short excursion into the past. The fact is that Louis and I have always had a very difficult time with each other; it always seemed to us that one of us should somehow bend under the other. We are both very impulsive, temperamental, with our own opinions. Only life together taught us wisdom, and it also made us kinder.
L.: In principle, there is nothing special about the fact that we separated for some time. This is a completely normal situation if you live at a distance for a long time. There must be some reassessment of values, you need to think about why you are together, what forces you to be together.
D.: When we parted, I thought: God, what happiness, I can do just fine without him. And the next day I realized that I couldn’t get by just fine. And although I was always courted by interesting people, I felt an incredible internal connection with Louis, like some kind of invisible rope. Maybe I wanted to break up, but I understood that I couldn’t. Because our story has not been lived to the end, because our children have not yet been born, what for which we met and began to live together has not yet happened.
Photo: Ekaterina Nikitina
L.: In addition, at that moment we realized that we were not as interested in our career as we thought, it was a bit of an artificial pursuit.
Is this really true about careers, Dina? I always thought that you are building your professional path very competently and purposefully.
D.: You know, since adolescence it was very important for me to find my “I”, to find a point of balance, this feeling that you are in your place and going your own way. I never had to prove to the whole world that I was the most talented, the most successful or the most beautiful. It's boring. All my successes arose from a different recipe, I was always motivated by something different - this thirst to understand who I am and to express it. At such moments, I exhibit brutal efficiency. I may not eat or sleep, but this is not to earn millions. This is only when you hit the point of inspiration.
Convincing, Dina, confession. But let's get back to the personal. So you say that both of you have had a reassessment. And who took the first step towards?
D.: I.
L.: I thought we both...
D.: Louis understood that it was useless for him to take the first step, because I said very harshly: “That’s it, we’re leaving!” And then we met.
L.: On Dinuli’s birthday.
D.: Yes. It was all very dramatic. My friends decided to surprise me, one friend called and said, come and have some tea, our entire “Gift of Life” fund has gathered. Instead, I went to meet Louis. So my friends celebrated my birthday without me.
What, Louis, did you give Dina that day?
L.: I remember it was flowers and my song Little Rose.
D.: We talked then and decided that we would be together again.
Photo: Ekaterina Nikitina
Soon after leaving for London, your daughter was born.
D.: Yes, and a year later I gave birth to my second one.
You haven't had children for quite a long time. Did it happen, or did you just not want it?
D: They didn’t want to. We lived very selfishly, in our own quest. We were not ready for children, and the crisis in our relationship suddenly forced us to set the right accents.
I know, Dina, that in London you continue to be actively involved in the affairs of the Gift of Life foundation. You are generally a fast, reactive girl, and suddenly you have two children, such a forced stop.
D.: I wasn’t ready for this, to be honest. We really wanted our first girl and took her appearance very seriously. And the second one was born without warning. ( Smiles
.)
L.: She warned me.
D.: ( Laughs
.) Louis said: “You know, the eldest just sent me a signal - “I want a sister.”
L.: This is serious!
D.: Daughters make us stronger. I feel that as a person I am developing at an incredible speed, this has never happened to me either in the theater or in any other business in which I have been involved.
L.: But for our professional life it was, of course, a big blow. The first three years were very difficult. We couldn't get used to our new position; we didn't know how to do two things at the same time. And we decided to devote all our time to children. At first I still had concerts left, but then I gave up everything, and so did Dinulya.
Photo: Ekaterina Nikitina
But what about material motivation?
D.: We didn’t have anything to show off, but we had enough money for a normal life.
In general, you are thrown from one extreme to another: you lived the first seven years almost without seeing each other, and then you began to spend together almost 24 hours a day.
D.: Oh, you know, Louis always told me: “Dina, you will never be bored with me.” And that's for sure! We live like on a volcano - it’s warm and very fun. Fate has bound us so tightly together! We were twenty-two years old when we met. We've been together for almost twenty years.
This is your third marriage, Dina. By the time you met Louis, you already had a son. I remember how you and your little son and Lyosha Zuev, your second husband, lived in the Tabakerka dormitory, where he served. You had the largest room in your dorm.
D.: Yes, yes, we also had a closet in our room, which we made from a box from under the refrigerator. There we built a crossbar, holes and hung things.
L.: That’s all, Vadim, it doesn’t matter. What is more important is the path that we have traveled individually and together. It is much more interesting to see who Dinulya was at that time and who she is now.
At that time, Dina was already a successful and popular actress.
D.: I was a young premiere at the Moscow Art Theater, I had the main roles.
You played Katerina great in The Thunderstorm.
D.: Thank you. But inside I was a completely frightened and hunted creature. I was afraid of life, I didn’t understand it, I was completely helpless. I came out of the black box of the theater, and that’s all - on the street I felt uncomfortable, incomprehensible, I didn’t know how to talk to people, I was shy.
Photo: Ekaterina Nikitina
And even your husband and son didn’t save the situation?
D.: No. Lesha is wonderful, he protected me very much and helped and supported me in every possible way. It wasn't about him. And then Louis showed up. This is a heart connection, destiny.
Louis, did you come to Moscow to study? Briefly, how did you meet?
L.: We met Dinuleya at a party for foreign students. I came from America to study at the Moscow Art Theater School.
D.: We, graduate students, had to organize a disco for American students, give them a warm welcome.
L.: I saw Dinulya as soon as I entered the room, it was as if I had been hit on the head with a baton. It wasn’t “Oh, how beautiful she is!” Words can’t even describe what it was. Just boom! I immediately approached her, but I couldn’t speak Russian. When we met, I was like Superman, it seemed to me that I could do anything, no restrictions. A young boy with big wings, and Russia, like a good purgatory, slapped me in the face. I have become more mature.
You met, and soon Louis left Moscow, right?
L.: Yes, in six months. I had the opportunity to continue studying at the Moscow Art Theater School, Tabakov offered to stay. But I thought: what exactly am I going to do here?
I suspect that you came to Moscow to study, and not for a romantic relationship. Or did the main goal fade into the background after meeting Dina?
L.: Probably. But Dina was married and had a child. I couldn't give her anything and didn't want to interfere in her life. At the same time, I was invited to join a theater troupe in Canada, and I went there. I didn’t know then whether I would return to Russia or not.
D.: And I always expected that he would return.
Did you break contact with each other then or not?
D.: Torn. Louis just called me and said, “I’m going to Canada and I’m not coming back. Sorry." And during these six months we became very friendly - we bought dictionaries, learned languages, met often at the studio school, looked for the right words in dictionaries, and talked. We learned to understand and feel each other. My husband Lyosha knew Louis and trusted him, he was sure that Louis was just my friend, that he was not dangerous at all. And so it was, we were just friends, went to the theaters, we had fun together. I think before I met Louis, I didn’t have a single friend, not a single girlfriend in this big city. Moscow has never been my hometown.
Let me note in parentheses that you are originally from Smolensk.
L.: After I left, I didn’t hear anything about Dinul for a year. But living a completely different life in Canada, I thought about it every day. And then one girl came to me with a drawing that Dina gave.
D.: We had a girl from Canada studying in our course, and when she was going home for the Christmas holidays, I asked her to find such and such a theater troupe in Montreal, such and such a young man, and give him my drawing and letter. The drawing showed a Harlequin entangled in a net, which was probably me. And in 1997, just when we were scoring “Country of the Deaf,” Louis returned.
L.: I came back to check my feelings - whether they are real or not. Came for ten days.
D.: We walked around the city, Louis came to us to dub the film. And soon I called him and said: “Listen, maybe we should try to live together?”
Photo: Ekaterina Nikitina
Well done for taking the initiative into your own hands.
D.: I don’t know whether he’s great or not. But we have been together since 1999. Louis left and returned several more times, he needed to get a visa and so on. And I kept sending him my sad drawings.
L.: Do you remember we communicated via fax when I was in Canada? There were no pagers or mobile phones back then. We talked like this for a while while I finished my business.
Dina, I know that you didn’t immediately find a common language with Louis’s mom. What was the reason?
L.: My mother was born in 1936. Imagine, bombings in America, the Cold War, communism, socialism in Europe in the 60s and 70s, anti-Russian propaganda... For my mother, Russia was horror. And then her son brings a Russian girl into the house, and an actress at that.
D: It was a shame for her. Then, of course, we found a common language. But it took a lot of time. Our children were already born, I began to make efforts for them. I became more diplomatic. I used to be offended - I didn’t understand why they didn’t like me, because I’m so wonderful, I haven’t done anything bad to anyone. And then I realized that everyone has the right to think what they want about me, and it won’t make me any worse. And as soon as I realized this, our relationship improved. I love and respect Louis’s mother very much, I always enter her house with great trepidation.
L.: And my father accepted Dina right away. He is an art critic. For my father, Dina was the most wonderful girl on earth.
D.: By the way, Louis’ relationship with my mother developed quickly.
L.: I think it was not easy for her either. For her, I'm like an alien. She's super open with me, super kind. When Dina and I broke up in 2008, her mother was very supportive of me.
D.: Yes, she secretly met with Louis, drank tea with him, listened to him and tried to talk to me about this topic.
In general, dear friends, you both went through fire, water and copper pipes.
D.: That's for sure.
Louis, not so long ago you starred in Alexei German Jr.’s film “Under Electric Clouds.” How did such a metamorphosis happen in your life, in the life of a professional musician?
L.: The film was being prepared for production in Ukraine, Alexey German for a long time could not find an actor for one role. A lot of people passed the casting, but nothing happened. And suddenly he saw my photograph and became interested: what kind of person is this? They told him: “You know, he’s actually a famous musician, but he doesn’t have any acting training.” Herman contacted me on Skype. Everything was strange. Then he invited me to audition and approved it.
Photo: Ekaterina Nikitina
Dina, have you already seen the film?
D.: Yes. I flew to Berlin to the festival where it was shown. I sat in the hall incredibly proud, I wanted to tell everyone: “This is my husband, this is my husband.” ( Laughs.
) I experienced the joy of a fan. Louis is very good on screen, he looks decent. He has obvious talent. If he had chosen acting as a profession, he would have done absolutely well.
Louis, did you like the filming process?
L.: Yes, I was very interested. Although it was a lot of work.
D.: I kept forcing him to learn the text. Louis said: “It’s late, I’m tired, I’ll go rest.” And I: “No, open the script, we’ll learn the text. Speak, and I will listen.”
I wonder, Dina, how your friend Chulpan Khamatova, who also played in this film, reacted to the news about Louis’s participation in the filming?
D: I don’t think she was surprised at all. Chulpan was very happy and said: “It’s great and what a pity that Louis and I don’t have scenes together.” They have known each other since 1997, and they have an excellent relationship.
Congratulations, Louis, on the premiere! Let's wait for the continuation.
Thank you, Vadim.
Dina, how is your creative life developing?
D.: In London I produce plays as a producer and as an actress. We recently had a performance based on Jean Cocteau's play about Edith Piaf. I played an actress who turns down a role because she doesn’t want to delve into the dark and destructive, doesn’t want to talk about how life is unworthy of admiration and that the best thing to do is commit suicide. Probably due to the fact that I have children, I also don’t want to play theater that talks about human crimes. That's why my theater is completely different. My colleagues and I staged the play “The Happy Prince” in London based on the fairy tale by Oscar Wilde, and we are now working on a fairy tale by the Russian writer Teleshov. The music, by the way, is written by Louis.
L.: We are also thinking about a play where we could act together. I’m also writing a Russian-language album called “Atlantis,” for which Dina and I recorded a joint song.
It seems to me that all this is absolutely logical. What about movies, Dina?
D.: I periodically act in short series in Russia, in small roles, but I simply cannot afford leading roles in multi-part films now. I would love to play in a full-length film - I'm waiting for interesting proposals!
I hope so. I personally would really like for you to return to Russian cinema. We were talking about your eldest son. He is already twenty-five. Where does he live?
D.: In Moscow. Timur graduated from the Financial Academy, but did not want to work in his specialty. Now he works at the International School of Foreign Languages. He likes it so far. We always invite Tim to come to London, he loves to come here, but in Moscow he has more affection, more friends. I'm glad that Louis has a very close relationship with Timur. He raised my son and gave him many incredible experiences. Louis once sent Timur to Africa to work as a volunteer with animals in national parks. We always celebrated Tima’s birthdays in some special way: the three of us jumped with a parachute from a height of 4000 meters, sailed on boats, traveled to distant countries. Our girls adore their older brother and call him “our prince.”
Photo: Ekaterina Nikitina Itala and Sofia, daughters of Dina Korzun and Louis Franck
Just a family idyll! Dina, in one photo you are standing next to an easel. Do you often dedicate paintings to Louis?
D.: Of course. To provoke and inspire me to draw more, he suggested: “I will buy paintings from you.” ( Smiles
.) He wants to collect a collection of my works, and this spurred me on. True, time is short. I try to dedicate it to children and their development. You know, I didn’t have a father, and my mother always worked. I now understand that my whole body is screaming: “You have no right to leave your children for a long time.” I might want to take it and not come home, stay in my studio for the whole evening, finish my work, finish the sketch. I would like to go and film an interesting project for a long time, but I know that such a separation will make me unhappy. My inner voice says that I need to be close to girls. But my talents do not bury themselves in the ground, but, on the contrary, blossom. My daughters and I draw, dance, and play.
As I understand it, now, Dina and Louis, everything in your life is quite stable.
L.: What stability! ( Laughs
.) None.
D.: Do you know why? Because in our souls we still remain the same artists that we were - everything inside is still spinning. I want to sit down and start writing a play and not stop - not answer any letters or calls. So I jumped on a plane, flew to Moscow, ran a marathon in support of the Gift of Life foundation, and at 9 pm I came to an event of one company to say thank you very much for the money that it allocates to the foundation. At 4 am there is another plane and back to London.
L.: We are constantly on the move, constantly experimenting.
D.: Louis and I recently took a meditation course: for ten days you go on a retreat (removal from society - Note OK!
), two hours from London, and there you are silent all the time. First I did it, then Louis, and it’s not all by chance. I would like to take control of my emotions, find peace that will allow me to pass any tests, not regret anything, enjoy everything, and be as productive as possible. I would like to find such inner stability.
Dina Korzun now
Now Dina Korzun continues to give strength to the charity movement. In England, she became the founder of the Gift of Life foundation. The actress often comes to Russia, where she holds charity events. In April 2020, at the Tretyakov Gallery, Dina held an evening dedicated to the poetry of Igor Severyanin. The program was called “The Diary of His Soul.” The performance featured poems from the Silver Age and classical music performed by Alexander Rudin, Andrei Korobeinikov and Dmitry Berlinsky.
Dina Korzun
Later, Dina Korzun participated in the International Children's Winners' Games, which for the 9th time are organized by the Gift of Life foundation for its wards. In the fall, the actress attended ceremonial events dedicated to the 25th anniversary of her activity in Russia. The cosmetology company has been financially supporting the Dina Korzun Foundation for many years, helping to buy expensive medicines for sick children.
Dina Korzun with her husband and Ekaterina Nikitina in 2020
Korzun combines business trips with vacations for children. “Londoners,” as the mother of her daughters calls them, enjoy spending summer days in the village in Bashkiria, where Dina’s relatives live. Korzun studies Hare Krishna philosophy and maintains close relations with the preacher and writer, leader of the international movement Alexander Gennadievich Khakimov. Judging by the photo from the actress’s Instagram, the guru is a frequent guest of Dina Korzun.
Awards[edit | edit code]
- 1995 - prize of the Moscow Theatrical Debuts festival (for his role in the play “Love in Crimea”)[16]
- 1999 - Nika, Golden Aries and Stars of Tomorrow awards (for his role in the film Country of the Deaf)
- 2000 - awards at film festivals in Spain, Slovakia, Greece, Russia, Switzerland (for his role in the film “The Last Resort”)
- 2005 - nomination for Best Actress at the Sundance Film Festival (forty shades of sadness)
- 2008 - prize “For the creation of a Fund to help children with oncological, hematological and other diseases” at the XIV film festival “Stalker” (together with Chulpan Khamatova)[17]
- 2009 - nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the Sundance Film Festival (film "Frozen Souls")
- 2012 - Certificate of honor from the President of the Russian Federation “for active charitable and social activities”[18]
"Country of the Deaf"
Dina Korzun's film debut took place shortly after graduation. This was a sensational project by Valery Todorovsky, based on the script by Renata Litvinova. It was in this film that the talented artist was able to reveal her talents for the first time. Showcasing excellent acting, she could afford to be eccentric, a little funny, clumsy and romantic. Anyone who has watched “Country of the Deaf” will definitely note the original role of Dina.
Yaya is a dreamer and an unrivaled optimist who lives in her own fantasy world. Everyday reality does not suit her. For this reason, every day she becomes more and more immersed in individual experiences, and hides her high aspirations behind a mask of feigned gaiety. The heroine Korzun really attracts attention. She amazes with her incredible integrity and desire to always remain herself. The story of a deaf dancer who lives by her own laws still leaves indifferent reviews to this day.
