A drama from nonpareil Russian director Aleksandr Sokurov has picked up the top honors – the Golden Lion award – at the world’s oldest film forum, the Venice International Film Festival.
His signature interpretation of Goethe’s Faust has also won accolades from the World Catholic Association for Communication. Apart from the SIGNIS prize, the Russian filmmaker has also received the Future Film Festival Digital Award.
Shooting of Sokurov’s latest masterpiece took place in Iceland and in the Czech Republic, with Icelandic and German actors in the leading roles.
Films by the Siberian-born St Petersburg-based director have been widely praised by critics from around the world. Sokurov’s thought-provoking dramas have been playing at the most prestigious festivals.
The award-winning director of Mother and Son, Moloch, and The Sun has always been interested by the phenomenon of power and conformity in his films.
One of them was a documentary about the first President of Russia, Boris Yeltsin; while three other features had Adolf Hitler, Lenin and Japanese Emperor Hirohito in the spotlight.