Aleksei Balabanov facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Aleksei Balabanov
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| Born | 25 February 1959 |
| Died | 18 May 2013 (aged 54) Sestroretsk, Saint Petersburg, Russia
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| Occupation | Film director |
| Years active | 1989 – 2012 |
Aleksei Oktyabrinovich Balabanov (Russian: Алeксeй Oктябpинoвич Балабанoв; born February 25, 1959 – died May 18, 2013) was a famous Russian film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was also a member of the European Film Academy.
Aleksei Balabanov first made artistic films and music videos. Later, he became very popular for his action-packed movies. These included Brother (1997) and Brother 2 (2000). Both films starred the actor Sergei Bodrov, Jr.. Balabanov also directed other well-known films like Cargo 200 (2007), Morphine (2008), and A Stoker (2010). People sometimes called him the "Russian Quentin Tarantino" because his films were often praised and made people think.
Contents
Life and Career
Aleksei Balabanov was born on February 25, 1959. His hometown was Sverdlovsk, which is now called Yekaterinburg in Russia.
In 1981, Balabanov finished his studies at the Gorky Pedagogical University. He studied foreign languages there. After that, he worked in the Soviet Army as an officer who could translate languages. From 1983 to 1987, he worked as an assistant director at the Sverdlovsk Film Studio.
Balabanov made his first film in 1987. He wrote the story for this film very quickly. It was a low-budget movie filmed in a restaurant. He then continued his film studies. In 1990, he graduated from a special workshop for film directors.
From 1990 onwards, Balabanov lived and worked in St. Petersburg.
Early Films and Success
In 1991, Balabanov directed his first full-length movie, Happy Days. This film was based on stories by Samuel Beckett. It was even shown at the famous Cannes Film Festival in 1994. That same year, Balabanov helped start a film company called CTV. He also directed The Castle, which was based on a book by Franz Kafka.
His next film, Brother (1997), was a huge success. It was a crime drama that was popular with both viewers and critics. The movie featured music by the band Nautilus Pompilus. Balabanov had directed some music videos for them before. Brother was also shown at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997.
This film made Balabanov and the main actor, Sergei Bodrov Jr., very well-known in Russia. Because Brother was so popular, a second movie was made. This sequel, Brother 2, was also directed by Balabanov and starred Bodrov. Part of this film was set in Chicago.
In 1998, he directed Of Freaks and Men. This film was shown at a special event during the 1998 Cannes Film Festival.
Balabanov's film Dead Man's Bluff (2005) was a dark comedy. His last finished film was Me Too, which was shown at the Venice Film Festival in 2012.
Personal Life
Aleksei Balabanov was married to a costume designer named Nadezhda Vasilyeva. They had two sons together.
Death
Aleksei Balabanov was deeply saddened by the loss of his friend and actor, Sergei Bodrov Jr.. Balabanov passed away on May 18, 2013. He died from a heart attack.
He was buried in St. Petersburg, near his father's grave.
Unfinished Works
Before he died, Balabanov was planning to make a film about the historical figure Stalin.
Legacy
Aleksei Balabanov is considered a very important film director in Russia. This is largely because of how popular his films Brother and Brother 2 became. Many people remember him as one of Russia's greatest film directors ever.
Filmography
| Year | English title | Original title | Notes | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cyrillic | Transliteration | ||||
| 1987 | There Used to Be Another Time | Раньше было другое время | Ran'she bylo drugoye vremya | short film | |
| 1988 | I Don't Have a Friend or One Step Beyond | У меня нет друга, или One step beyond | U menya net druga, ili One step beyond | short film | |
| 1989 | Nastya and Yegor | Настя и Егор | Nastya i Yegor | short documentary | |
| 1990 | On Aviation in Russia | О воздушном летании в России | O vozdushnom letanii v Rossii | short documentary, graduation film | |
| 1991 | Happy Days | Счастливые дни | Schastlivyye dni | ||
| 1991 | Border Conflict | Пограничный конфликт | Pogranichnyy konflikt | ||
| 1994 | The Castle | Замок | Замок | ||
| 1995 | Pribytiye poyezda | segment "Trofim" | |||
| 1997 | Brother | Брат | Brat | ||
| 1998 | Of Freaks and Men | Про уродов и людей | Pro urodov i lyudey | ||
| 2000 | Brother 2 | Брат 2 | Brat 2 | ||
| 2002 | The River | Река | Reka | ||
| 2002 | War | Война | Voyna | ||
| 2005 | Dead Man's Bluff | Жмурки | Zhmurki | ||
| 2006 | It Doesn't Hurt Me | Мне не больно | Mne ne bol'no | ||
| 2007 | Cargo 200 | Груз 200 | Gruz 200 | ||
| 2008 | Morphia | Морфий | Morfiy | ||
| 2010 | A Stoker | Кочегар | Kochegar | ||
| 2012 | Me Too | Я тоже хочу | Ya tozhe khochu | ||
Music Videos
Balabanov also directed several music videos for different bands:
- Three videos for the band Nautilus Pompilius: "A glimpse from the screen" (Russian: Взгляд с экрана, 1988), "Pure demon" (Russian: Чистый бес, 1992), and "In the rain" (Russian: Во время дождя, 1997). The last one was part of the soundtrack for his movie Brother.
- A video for Nastya (band): "Stratosphere" (Russian: Стратосфера, 1989).
- He worked with director Valery Makushchenko on a video for the band Bi-2: "No One Writes to the Colonel" (Russian: Полковнику никто не пишет, 2000). This song was also part of the soundtrack for his film Brother 2.
See also
- Sergei Bodrov, Jr.
- Viktor Sukhorukov
