Andrei Konchalovsky
Andrei Sergeyevich Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky is a Russian filmmaker, theatre director, and screenwriter. He is a laureate of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", a National Order of the Legion of Honour, an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters, a Cavalier of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic and a People's Artist of the RSFSR. His father was the writer Sergey Mikhalkov.
Konchalovsky's work has encompassed theatrical motion pictures, made-for-television films, and stage productions in both Russia and the United States. He was a frequent collaborator of Andrei Tarkovsky earlier in his career, and his directorial credits include Uncle Vanya, Siberiade, Maria's Lovers, Runaway Train, Tango & Cash, The Inner Circle, Assia and the Hen with the Golden Eggs, House of Fools, The Postman's White Nights, and Paradise. He also directed the miniseries adaptation of The Odyssey. His work has won numerous accolades, including the Cannes Grand Prix Spécial du Jury, a FIPRESCI Award, two Silver Lions, three Golden Eagle Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award.
Early life and education
Konchalovsky was born as Andrei Sergeyevich Mikhalkov in Moscow, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, to an aristocratic family of Mikhalkovs, with centuries-old artistic and aristocratic heritage tracing their roots to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. He took his maternal grandfather's surname as his stage name. He is the brother of filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov and the son of author Sergei Mikhalkov. He is frequently referred to as Andron, but as he stated several times, Andron was just the pet-name used by his grandfather and never was his official name; he prefers the name Andrei.He studied for ten years at the Moscow Conservatory, preparing for a pianist's career. In 1960, however, he met Andrei Tarkovsky and co-scripted his movie Andrei Rublev.
Career
His first full-length feature, The First Teacher, was favourably received in the Soviet Union and screened by numerous film festivals abroad. His second film, Asya Klyachina's Story, was suppressed by Soviet authorities. When issued twenty years later, it was acclaimed as his masterpiece. Thereupon, Konchalovsky filmed adaptations of Ivan Turgenev's A Nest of Gentle Folk and Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, with Innokenty Smoktunovsky in the title role.In 1979 he was a member of the jury at the 11th Moscow International Film Festival. His epic Siberiade upon its 1979 release was favourably received at Cannes and made possible his move to the United States in 1980.
His most popular Hollywood releases are Maria's Lovers, Runaway Train, based on a script by Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, and Tango & Cash, starring Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell. In the 1990s, Konchalovsky returned to Russia, although he occasionally produced historical films for U.S. television, such as his adaption of The Odyssey and the award-winning remake, The Lion in Winter.
Konchalovsky's full-length feature, House of Fools, with a cameo role by Bryan Adams as himself, set in a Chechen psychiatric asylum during the war, won him a Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
In 2010, Konchalovsky released a longtime passion project of his, The Nutcracker in 3D, a musical adaptation of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet. A musical film, it mixed live action and 3D animation, and starred Elle Fanning, John Turturro, Nathan Lane, and Richard E. Grant. The film was scored with music from the ballet, with additional lyrics by Tim Rice.
In the same year, Konchalovsky also featured in Hitler in Hollywood, a bio-doc about Micheline Presle which evolves into a thrilling investigation of the long hidden truth behind European cinema. This mockumentary thriller uncovers Hollywood's unsuspected plot against the European motion picture industry. The film won the FIPRESCI Prize at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and was nominated for a Crystal Globe award in July, 2010.
In 2012, Konchalovsky wrote, directed and produced The Battle for Ukraine, which provided an in depth analysis of how Ukraine to this day struggles to escape from the close embrace of its former big brother, Russia. This extensive study lasted for almost three years and involved an array of Ukrainian, Russian and American historians, politicians and journalists, as well as the ex-President of Poland Aleksander Kwasniewski, the ex-President of Slovakia Rudolf Schuster, the ex-President of Georgia Eduard Shevardnadze, the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan, the ex-Prime Minister of Russia Viktor Chernomyrdin, and the businessman Boris Berezovsky.
2013, saw Konchalovsky co-produce a story previously untold on film. Film-maker Margy Kinmonth invited the Prince of Wales to make a journey through history to celebrate the artistic gene in his family and reveal an extraordinary treasure trove of work by royal hands past and present, many of whom were accomplished artists. Set against the spectacular landscapes of the Royal Estates and containing insights into works by members of The Royal Family down the centuries and The Prince of Wales's own watercolours, 'Royal Paintbox' explores a colourful palette of intimate family memory and observation.
and Prime Minister of Italy Giuseppe Conte watched a new Russian-Italian film Sin, presented by its director Andrei Konchalovsky, 24 October 2018.
His film The Postman's White Nights won the Silver Lion at the 71st Venice International Film Festival. The script is centred around the true story of Aleksey Tryaptisyn, a real life postman based in a remote Russian village surrounding the Kenozero lake.
In 2016 Paradise directed by him won the Silver Lion at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival. It was selected as the Russian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards.
Personal life
Konchalovsky has been married five times. His first wife was Irina Kandat. His second wife was Kazakh actress Natalia Arinbasarova, with whom he has one son: Egor, born January 15, 1966. His third wife was Viviane Godet, with whom he has a daughter, Alexandra Mikhalkova, born October 6, 1971. His fourth wife was Irina Ivanova, with whom he has two daughters: Nathalia and Elena. His fifth wife is Russian actress Julia Vysotskaya; they have been married since 1998 and have two children: Maria and Petr.Accolades
2018 Career Award at the Sardinia Film Festival2018 Cavalier of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
2018 Russian Ludvic Nobel award
2017 Award of the Government of the Russian Federation in Culture for his theater work
2017 The Bridge Award by the Bernhard Wicki Foundation
2017 The title of Professor of Moscow State University
2017 ‘Person of the Year’ award by Federation Of Jewish Communities in Russia
2017 The Federico Fellini Prize ‘For a special contribution to the development of the cinema’
2017 The European Medal of Tolerance, ‘For his cultural achievements focused on preserving the tragic memory of the past including his film ‘Paradise’
2016 ‘Baltic Star International Award’ for Developing and Consolidating Humanitarian Relations in Countries of the Baltic Region
2016 Rivista del Cinematografo Award, Vatican
2016 The Robert Bresson Prize, Vatican
2015 The Moscow Times Awards 'Person of the Year’
2012 Award 'For Contribution to Enlightenment’, Kazan International Festival of Muslim Films
2012 International Award of Chingiz Aitmatov, 'For Studio adaptation of a novel' for the movie 'The First Teacher', 1965,
2011 National Order of the Legion of Honour
2011 The title of Honorary Doctor of the University
2011 Honorary award 'Doctor Honorius Causa' for the contribution to cinema
2011 Award 'For the contribution to cinema’, International Film Festival of Andrei Tarkovsky ‘Zerkalo'
2010 Honorary Award to outstanding citizen of the city of Tuscany
2010 Commemorative Medal '150th anniversary of Anton Chekhov', award 'For the contribution to the theatrical art’
2008 'Gold Star' special award for the contribution to development of the world cinema
2006 Russian Film Directors Guild Award for citizenship, integrity and contribution to cinema
2005 Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters
2003 Order 'Danaker'
2002 The title of 'Honorary Professor of Cinematography' for outstanding contribution to the art, culture and cinema, VGIK
2002 Academician of the National Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
1997 Special Silver St. George for his contribution to world cinema, 20th Moscow International Film Festival, 1997
1997 Order "For Merit to the Fatherland"
1997 Medal 'In Commemoration of the 850th Anniversary of Moscow’
1980 People's Artist of the RSFSR
1974 Merited Artist of the USSR
1972 State Prize of the Kazakh SSR
Works
Filmography
Film
Feature films
Short films
Television
Music videos
- 2007 Dorogie moi moskvichi, by singer Dima Bilan.
- 2007 O Sole Miо, by singer Dima Bilan
Stage credits
Theatre projects
- “Eugene Onegin”. A play performed at La Scala, Italy, in 1985.
- “The Queen of Spades”. A play performed at La Scala, Italy, in 1990.
- “Miss Julie”. A play performed at the Malaya Bronnaya Theatre, Moscow, in 2005.
- “King Lear”. A play performed at Na Woli, Warsaw, in 2006.
- “The Seagull”. A play performed at the Odeon Theatre, Paris, in 1987, and at the Mossovet Theatre, Moscow, in 2004. Toured Italy in 2007.
- “Uncle Vanya”. A play performed at the Mossovet Theatre, Moscow, since 2009. Toured Italy in 2009, the Baltics in 2009 and Israel in 2010.
- "Three sisters" A play performed at the Mossovet Theatre, Moscow, since 2012.
- "La Bisbetica Domata" A play performed at the San Ferdinando Theater, Naples, 2013.
- "Edip di Colone" A play performed at Teatro Olimpico, Vicenza, 2014.
- "The Cherry Orchad" A play performed at the Mossovet Theatre, Moscow, since 2016.
- "Edip di Colone" A play performed at the Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theater, Saint-Petersburg, since 2017.
Operas
- “War and Peace”. An opera staged at the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg, in 2000, and at the Metropolitan Opera, New York, in 2002 and 2009.
- “Un ballo in maschera”. An opera staged at the Teatro Regio, Italy, in 2001, and at the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg, in 2001.
- “Boris Godunov”. An opera staged at the Teatro Regio, Turin, Italy, in 2010.
- “Our Ancient Capital”. A musical event held to commemorate Moscow's 850th anniversary on Red Square in 1997.
- “Celebrating 300 Years of St. Petersburg”. A spectacular show held in St. Petersburg, in 2003.
Documentaries
- 2003 Sergei Prokofiev TV documentary in the “Geniuses” series.
- 2003 Sergei Rachmaninoff TV documentary in the “Geniuses” series.
- 2004 Yuri Andropov TV documentary in “The Burden of Power” series, in collaboration with A. Kolesnikov.
- 2004 Heydar Aliyev TV documentary in “The Burden of Power” series.
- 2005 Culture is Destiny documentary, 2005. Author and presenter: Andrei Konchalovsky, director: Igor Kalyadin.
- 2006 Alexander Scriabin TV documentary in the “Geniuses” series.
- 2006 Igor Stravinsky TV documentary in the "Geniuses" series.
- 2007 Dmitri Shostakovich TV documentary in the "Geniuses" series.
- 2007 Vladimir Sofronitsky TV documentary in the "Geniuses" series.
- 2012 Bitva za Ukrainu
- 2015.POETIC PORTRAITS AT GIFT FESTIVAL documentary film by shota kalandadze
Screenplays
- 1960 The Steamroller and the Violin. Co-scripted with A. Tarkovsky.
- 1961 The Boy and the Dove. Top prize for the Children and Youth Film Festival in Venice, 1962.
- 1962 Ivan's Childhood. Co-scripted with V. Bogomolov, M. Papava, A. Tarkovsky. “Golden Lion” at the 1962 Venice International Film Festival.
- 1965 The First Teacher. Co-scripted with Ch. Aitmatov, B. Dobrodeev, A. Tarkovsky.
- 1966 Andrei Rublev. Co-scripted with A. Tarkovsky. FIPRESCI Prize at the Cannes International Film Festival, 1969.
- 1967 Tashkent, a City of Plenty. Co-scripted with A. Neverov, A. Tarkovsky.
- 1969 A Nest of Gentlefolk. Co-scripted with V. Ezhov.
- 1970 Uncle Vanya. Author of the adapted screenplay.
- 1970 End of the Ataman. Co-scripted with A. Tarkovsky, E. Tropinin.
- 1972 We're Waiting for You, Lad. Co-scripted with E. Tropinin.
- 1972 The Seventh Bullet. Co-scripted with F. Gorenstein.
- 1973 The Fierce One. Co-scripted with A. Tarkovsky, E. Tropinin.
- 1973 The Admirer. Co-scripted with A. Khachaturov.
- 1974 Song About Manshuk. Author of the screenplay.
- 1975 One Life Is Not Enough. Author of the screenplay.
- 1978 Blood and Sweat. Co-scripted with A. Khachaturov.
- 1976 A Slave of Love. Co-scripted with F. Gorenstein.
- 1977 Trans-Siberian Express. Co-scripted with A. Adabashyan, N. Mikhalkov.
- 1978 Siberiade. Co-scripted with Ezhov.
- 1983 Maria's Lovers. Co-scripted with J. Brush, P. Zindel, F. Bayars.
- 1986 Duet for One . Co-scripted with R. Garcia.
- 1987 Shy People. Co-scripted with J. Brush, M. David.
- 1992 The Inner Circle. Co-scripted with A. Usov.
- 1994 Ryaba, My Chicken. Co-scripted with V. Merezhko.
- 2007 Moscow Chill. Co-scripted with C. Solimine.
- 2010 The Nutcracker in 3D. Co-scripted with C. Solimine.
- 2014 The Postman's White Nights. Co-scripted with E. Kiseleva.
- 2016 Paradise. Co-scripted with E. Kiseleva.
- 2018 The Sin. Co-scripted with E. Kiseleva.
Music videos
- 2007 Dorogie moi moskvichi, by singer Dima Bilan.
- 2007 O Sole Miо, by singer Dima Bilan.
Production
- 1994 Ryaba, My Chicken. Co-produced with S. Bayev, C. Bolzli, D. Ouaknine, N. Garo.
- 2002 House of Fools. Co-produced with S. Khramtsov, F. Kleiman.
- 2007 Moscow Chill. Co-produced with D. Dobouzhinsky, O. Ioguchevym, C. Tuffin.
- 2010 The Last Station. Executive producer.
- 2010 The Nutcracker in 3D. Co-produced with P. Lowin, J. Circó, M. Clark, M. Borman.
- 2013 Royal Paintbox. Co-produced with M. Kinmonth.
- 2014 The Postman's White Nights.
- 2016 Paradise. Co-produced with F. Deyle.
- 2018 The Sin. Co-produced with A. Usmanov.
Acting
- 1961 The Trial of Madmen
- 1962 Ivan's Childhood
- 1964 I Am Twenty
- 1994 Ryaba, My Chicken
Films about Konchalovsky
- 2007 Andrei Konchalovsky. On Stage. A documentary directed by Nikita Tikhonov.
- 2007 Andrei Konchalovsky. On the Silver Screen. A documentary directed by Alexei Kolesnikov.
- 2017 Andrei Konchalovsky. Fild of Attraction. A documentary directed by Sergei Braverman.
Theatre projects
- “Eugene Onegin”. A play performed at La Scala, Italy, in 1985.
- “The Queen of Spades”. A play performed at La Scala, Italy, in 1990.
- “Miss Julie”. A play performed at the Malaya Bronnaya Theatre, Moscow, in 2005.
- “King Lear”. A play performed at Na Woli, Warsaw, in 2006.
- “The Seagull”. A play performed at the Odeon Theatre, Paris, in 1987, and at the Mossovet Theatre, Moscow, in 2004. Toured Italy in 2007.
- “Uncle Vanya”. A play performed at the Mossovet Theatre, Moscow, since 2009. Toured Italy in 2009, the Baltics in 2009 and Israel in 2010.
- "Three sisters" A play performed at the Mossovet Theatre, Moscow, since 2012.
- "La Bisbetica Domata" A play performed at the San Ferdinando Theater, Naples, 2013.
- "Edip di Colone" A play performed at Teatro Olimpico, Vicenza, 2014.
- "The Cherry Orchad" A play performed at the Mossovet Theatre, Moscow, since 2016.
- "Edip di Colone" A play performed at the Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theater, Saint-Petersburg, since 2017.
Operas
- “War and Peace”. An opera staged at the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg, in 2000, and at the Metropolitan Opera, New York, in 2002 and 2009.
- “Un ballo in maschera”. An opera staged at the Teatro Regio, Italy, in 2001, and at the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg, in 2001.
- “Boris Godunov”. An opera staged at the Teatro Regio, Turin, Italy, in 2010.
- “Our Ancient Capital”. A musical event held to commemorate Moscow's 850th anniversary on Red Square in 1997.
- “Celebrating 300 Years of St. Petersburg”. A spectacular show held in St. Petersburg, in 2003.