Павел Лунгин

Born July 12, 1949, in Moscow. He graduated from the Department of Applied and Structural Linguistics at Moscow State University in 1971, and enrolled in the Higher Courses for Film Directors in 1980. 

He made his screenwriting debut in 1976 with the film "It's All About My Brother." In 1990, he directed his first feature film, "Taxi Blues," starring Pyotr Mamonov, for which he received the Best Director Award at the Cannes Film Festival. He has directed over a dozen films, including "Luna Park" (1996), "The Wedding" (2000), "Tycoon: A New Russian" (2002), and "The Island" (2006), as well as the television series "The Case of the Dead Souls" (2005) and "Motherland" (2015). 

"The Wedding" received a Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival for Best Ensemble Cast, while "The Island" earned him both the Golden Eagle Award and the Nika Award for Best Director. He is an Officer of the French Order of the Legion of Honour, a People's Artist of the Russian Federation, and a recipient of the "Honorary Russian" award.