Andréi Sviáguintsev

Andrey Zvyagintsev (b. 1964, Novosibirsk) graduated from the Novosibirsk Actors School (1984) and from the GITIS acting faculty in Moscow (1990). He was involved as an actor in several stage projects and appeared in episodic roles in TV series and also in films, such as Shirli-Myrli (1995, dir. Vladimir Menshov, screened at Karlovy Vary in 1996). In 2003 he debuted with the feature film The Return (Vozvrashchenie), which won the Golden Lion at the Venice IFF and was awarded the title European Discovery of the Year at the European Film Awards in 2003. His next film The Banishment (Izgnanie) was selected for the Cannes competition in 2007, where the actor in the lead role, Konstantin Lavronenko, won the Best Actor award. Elena is his third feature.

46. IFF Karlovy Vary