Aleksandr Sokurov
Birthday: 1951-06-14
Place of Birth: village Podorvikha, Irkutsk Region, RSFSR, USSR, (now Russia)
Synopsis
Aleksandr Sokurov (born June 14, 1951) is a Russian director of avant-garde and independent films that have won him international acclaim. Described as a heir to Tarkovsky, spare, gloomy and contemplative, he often blurs lines between image and world. His noticable trademark and style includes long, accurate shots of real painterly compositions, disorted field of view, zooms and use of wide angle lenses. Often plotless with emphasis on aesthetics and impressionism his films are noted for philosophical approach to history and nature. Sokurov underlines the importance of film, not to yield to the modern audience laziness, and to stay away from mere entertainment.
His most significant works include a feature film, Russian Ark (2002), filmed in a single unedited shot, Mother and Son (1997) and Faust (2011), which was honoured with the Golden Lion, the highest prize for the best film at the Venice Film Festival.
Acting
Voice of Sokurov
as Himself
Five years in the making, based on six lengthy interviews filmed on six different locations in Saint Petersburg, we meet an outspoken artist who covers here his entire life and prolific career. The locations were Sokurov’s own favourites, where he felt at home.
The Story of Film: An Odyssey
as Self
The story of international cinema told through the history of cinematic innovation. Covering six continents and 12 decades, showing how film-makers are influenced both by the historical events of their times, and by each other.
Alexander Sokurov: Questions about cinema
as Himself
An encounter with the great Russian film director Alexander Sokurov, which gives rise to a lot of questions about his artistic stand and the problems he touches upon and resolves in his works. The film presents the director’s thoughts about the history of cinema, about the power of the sound and image, about the past and future of cinema, accompanied by fragments from his films and various archival materials.