Alexei Uchitel

Alexey Uchitel
Алексей Учитель
Alexei Uchitel at the 43rd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
Born
Aleksei Yefimovich Uchitel

(1951-08-31) 31 August 1951 (age 73)
Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (now Saint Petersburg, Russia)
OccupationFilm director

Aleksei Yefimovich Uchitel (Russian: Алексей Ефимович Учитель; born 31 August 1951) is a Russian film director.[1] In 2002, he received the title People's Artist of Russia.[2]

Life and career

Uchitel in 2019

Uchitel was born on 31 August 1951 in Leningrad to the family of documentary filmmaker Yefim Uchitel.[1][3][4]

In 1975, he graduated from VGIK, worked at the Leningrad studio of documentary films.[1]

In 1990, he founded his film studio "Rock". Uchitel's directorial debut was the film Gisele's Mania.[1]

In 2000, he received the Nika Award, the Kinotavr Grand Prix[5] and the Crystal Globe nomination for His Wife's Diary. The film was about the last love affair of Ivan Bunin.[6]

His 2003 film The Stroll was entered into the 25th Moscow International Film Festival.[7] His 2005 film Dreaming of Space won the Golden George at the 27th Moscow International Film Festival.[8] In 2006, he was a member of the jury at the 28th Moscow International Film Festival.[9]

His 2010 film The Edge was selected as the Russian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 83rd Academy Awards[10] but it did not make the final shortlist.[11]

His film Break Loose was selected to be screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.[12][13]

The romantic drama Matilda directed by Uchitel about the relationship between ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya and Nicholas II was released on 23 October 2017. The picture became controversial after State Duma deputy Natalia Poklonskaya led a campaign to ban the film on religious grounds.

Personal life

In 1981, Uchitel married Kira Saksaganskaya. They have a son. The couple separated without formally filing for divorce. For many years, Uchitel had an affair with the Russian actress Yulia Peresild, with whom he has two daughters, Anna (born 2009) and Maria (born 2012).[14][15][16] In 2021, Peresild announced that she had broken up with him.[17]

Selected filmography

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Алексей Ефимович Учитель. Биографическая справка". RIA Novosti. 31 August 2011.
  2. ^ "Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 14.01.2002 г. № 35". Kremlin.
  3. ^ "Tiraspol: Famous gallery".
  4. ^ "Saint Petersburg encyclopaedia".
  5. ^ ""Ника": Лучший фильм — "Дневник его жены"". Lenta.ru.
  6. ^ "His Wife´s Diary / Dněvnik jego ženy". Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
  7. ^ "25th Moscow International Film Festival (2003)". MIFF. Archived from the original on 3 April 2013. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  8. ^ "27th Moscow International Film Festival (2005)". MIFF. Archived from the original on 3 April 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  9. ^ "28th Moscow International Film Festival (2006)". MIFF. Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
  10. ^ "Russia chooses its Oscar nominee". The Voice of Russia. Archived from the original on 19 November 2010. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
  11. ^ "9 Foreign Language Films Continue to Oscar Race". oscars.org. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
  12. ^ "Break Loose". TIFF. Archived from the original on 25 August 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  13. ^ "Toronto Adds 75+ Titles To 2013 Edition". Indiewire. 13 August 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  14. ^ "What Yulia Peresild is silent about: Secrets of the muse and mother of children, director Alexei Uchitel - Art 2023". Art design log. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  15. ^ Maria Remizova (3 October 2017). "Юлия Пересильд призналась, что родила дочерей от 66-летнего Алексея Учителя". Komsomolskaya Pravda.
  16. ^ "The married Aleksey Yefimovich Uchitel met again with Julia Peresild". news.myseldon.com. 27 February 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  17. ^ "Julia Peresild left from Aleksey Yefimovich Uchitel". news.myseldon.com. 26 August 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2023.