Andrei Konchalovsky (Writer, Director, Producer)
Andrei Konchalovsky has had a distinguished career directing films in the United States as well as in his home country of Russia.
His American made films have included The Inner Circle, Tango & Cash, Homer & Eddie, Shy People starring Barbara Hershey, Duet for One starring Julie Andrews, Alan Bates and Max Von Sydow, Maria's Lovers starring Nastassja Kinski and Runaway Train which earned three Academy Award® nominations.
His first Russian film was The First Teacher. This was followed by The Story of Asya Klyachina which won the Russian Academy Award in 1968 for Best Film, The Nest of Gentlefolk, Uncle Vanya, Romance for Lovers, and Siberiada which won the Special Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1979.
Born in Moscow in 1937, Konchalovsky comes from an artistic family. His great-grandfather, Vassili Surikov, and his grandfather, Piotr Konchalovsky, were well known Russian painters. His mother, Natalya Konchalovskaya, is a celebrated poet while his father, Sergei Mikhalkov, is a noted playwright and poet.
The multi-talented director studied piano for 12 years before devoting his energies to filmmaking. He graduated from VGIK (Moscow Film School) and began to write and direct immediately. He has written 15 screenplays including Tarkovsky's Andrei Rublev and Nikita Mikhalkov's Slave of Love.
Additionally, Konchalovsky has directed stage productions including "The Seagull" at the Odeon Theatre in France. He has also directed several operas including "War and Peace" at the Metropolitan Opera and the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia, "Un Ballo in Maschera" at the Teatro Reggio in Italy and the Mariinsky Theatre in Poland, and "Queen of Spades" and "Eugene Onegin" both at La Scala, Italy.
Sergei Kozlov (Director of Photography)
Sergei Kozlov was born in Moscow and graduated from VGIK (Moscow Film School) in 1989. He continued his film studies in the United States, and after working on numerous music videos, commercials and documentaries, made his feature debut on director Tomas Tot's Children of Iron Gods.
His other film credits include Konchalovsky's The Odyssey, Sergei Bodrov's The Quickie, Denis Yevstigneyev's Mama and the U. S. miniseries Merlin and Jason and the Argonauts.
Edward Artemiev (Original Music)
Edward Artemiev was a student of Yori Shaporin and Eugeny Mursin's at the Moscow Conservatory, before beginning his career at the Studio of Electronic Music in Moscow.
His extensive list of credits number nearly 100 films, including four with Andrei Konchalovsky. These include The Odyssey, Siberiad, The Inner Circle and Homer & Eddie.
He has also worked numerous times with other noted directors. He composed the music for Andrei Tarkovsky's The Stalker, The Mirror, and Solaris and with Nikita Mikhalkov on The Barber of Siberia, Burnt by the Sun, Urga, Without Witness, Family Relations, A Few Days in the Life if I. I. Oblomov, An Unfinished Piece for a Player Piano, Slave of Love and At Home Among Strangers.
His other American film credits include Dan Golden's Burial of the Rats, Larry Shiller's Double Jeopardy and Marini Levikova and Yuri Neyman's Heart of the Deal.
