European Film Awards to honour Aleksandr Sokurov
by Cineuropa
- The Russian filmmaker will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 30th European Film Awards Ceremony on 9 December in Berlin
On the occasion of this year's 30th European Film Awards (EFAs) and in recognition of a unique contribution to the world of film, the European Film Academy will present Aleksandr Sokurov with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding work in the field of directing, dramaturgy and cinematography. He will be an honorary guest at the 30th European Film Awards Ceremony on 9 December in Berlin - streamed live on www.europeanfilmawards.eu.
Having first graduated in History, Aleksandr Sokurov started out making various TV films and documentaries and then studied at the Soviet Union's famous VGIK film school. All films created by Sokurov during the Soviet period were banned in the USSR. When the very first EFAs were celebrated in what was then West-Berlin in 1988, he was nominated with Days of Eclipse in the category Best Young Film. He was again nominated for the EFAs in 2001 with Elegy of a Voyage, this time in the category European Documentary.
Aleksandr Sokurov's tetralogy on the effects of power was also recognised across Europe and the world. The first one, Moloch, about Hitler, was in competition in Cannes in 1999, awarded for the Best Screenplay, and also EFA-nominated. The second, Taurus, about Lenin, where Sokurov was also director of photography, again premiered in Cannes in 2001. The third, The Sun (2005), about the Japanese emperor Hirohito - again with Sokurov as cinematographer, was in competition in Berlin. Finally, Faust received the Golden Lion in Venice in 2011.
He stunned film-lovers and critics alike with his 2002 Cannes entry and EFA-nominated Russian Ark [+see also:
trailer
film profile], which was filmed in a single shot.
Meanwhile, he keeps filming documentaries in Russia - a recurring theme in these being the military world of the former USSR. From 2011 until 2016 he taught Cinema at the Kabardino-Balkarian State University in the North Caucasus where he opened his workshop for young filmmakers from the region. For several years, his foundation "Example of Intonation" has been identifying talented young people, collecting funds, and launching films of new directors. As a respected public figure, he also created "Sokurov's Group for the Protection of the Cultural and Historical Image of Russian Cities".
As a writer and director, Aleksandr Sokurov continues to be an important and inspirational voice in Russian and European cinema, not just artistically but also through his courageous commitment for the freedom of speech and artistic expression and humanistic values.
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