Viktor Kossakovsky

Early life

Kossakovsky was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia, at the time Leningrad, U.S.S.R. He began his film career in 1978, working as an assistant cameraman, assistant director, and editor at the Leningrad Studio of Documentaries. From 1986 to 1988, he studied screenwriting and directing at Moscow HCSF. He became a vegetarian during his childhood.

Career

Kossakovsky's first released feature was his 1992 documentary Belovy / The Belovs. Subsequent works include his 2002 documentary Hush! / Tishe! and his 2003 documentary Russia from My Window (2003), both made from footage that Kossakovsky filmed out his bedroom window or on his street in St. Petersburg; and his well-received meditation on the natural wonder of water, Aquarela (2018), released in the U.S. by Sony Pictures Classics. In 2011, his documentary ¡Vivan las Antipodas! was selected as the opening film of the Venice Film Festival.

Awards

In 1993, his first feature, Belovy / The Belovs, won both the VPRO Joris Ivens Award and the Audience Award.

Other awards include the Special Jury Award at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam for Pavel i Lyalya in 1999, the Documentary Award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival for Sreda (Wednesday), the Award of Honor at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival for Sreda, the Dok Leipzig Findling Award for Pavel i Lyala, the True Vision Award at the 2012 True/False Film Festival and the Genziana d'Oro – Gran Premio Città di Trento at the 60th Trento Film Festival (2012). His film Gunda was shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Documentary at the 93rd Oscars.

Filmography

• Belovy / Беловы / The Belovs (documentary) (1994)
• Pavel i Lyala / Павел и Ляля (documentary) (1998)
• Wednesday 07.19.61 / Среда 19.07.61 (documentary) (1999)
• Hush! / Тише! / Tishe! (2002)
• I Loved You / Я любил тебя (documentary) (2003)
• Russia from my Window / Россия из моего окна (2003)
• Svyato (documentary short) (2005)
• ¡Vivan las Antipodas! / Long Live the Antipodes! (documentary) (2011)
• DisplAir (documentary short) (2012)
• Demonstration (documentary) (2013)
• Aquarela (documentary) (2018)
• Gunda (documentary) (2020)
• Architecton (documentary) (2024)

References

References

1. "Viktor Kossakovsky". [[British Film Institute]].
2. "''Aquarela'' > Biography". German Documentary Association AG DOK and German Films Service + Marketing GmbH.
3. [https://fr.euronews.com/culture/2021/04/13/gunda-un-documentaire-intime-epoustouflant-sur-la-vie-d-un-cochon "Gunda" : un documentaire intime époustouflant sur la vie d'un cochon], euronews.com, 13 April 2021 (retrieved 13 December 2021)
4. "IDFA Victor Kossakovsky Master Class".
5. Lodge, Guy. (September 1, 2018). "Film Review: 'Aquarela'".
6. "''Aquarela''". [[Sony Pictures Classics]].
7. "Gunda with Victor Kossakovsky".
8. "¡VIVAN LAS ANTIPODAS!".
9. www.oberon.nl, Oberon Amsterdam. "Belovy (1993) {{!}} IDFA Archive".
10. (1999-03-01). "The International Documentary Filmfestival {{!}} International Documentary Association".
11. "Sreda (1997) - Awards - IMDb".
12. "True Vision Award 2012 Recipient".
13. "Trento Film Festival".
14. (2021-02-09). "93RD OSCARS® SHORTLISTS IN NINE AWARD CATEGORIES ANNOUNCED {{!}} Oscars.org {{!}} Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences".