Feature Competition

Born in Stepanavan, Armenia, in 1936. Ronald Kazaryan is a soundman, author of the monography on sound-visual counterpoint theory, Film Phonography Aesthetics (2011), the Honoured Art Figure of RF (1997), a VGIK Professor (2002), a member of Union of the Cinematographers of Russua since 1972. In 1959 he graduated from the Leningrad Institute of Film Engineers. Worked as a sound engineer at the Hayfilm Studio, 1959-63. Since 1963 has been a soundman at the Mosfilm Studio. He is the author of the phonography for over 30 feature films, including Run, Teheran-43. Kazaryan is the author of “concrete music” for the Lev Kulidjanov’s film Crime and Punishment as well. He is the soundman of the first Soviet film in Dolby-Stereo, Mother by Gleb Panfilov, which was awarded the Special Prize of Cannes IFF for Artistic Achievements (1990). A Nika National Cinema Award laureate (1990), Nika Academy Full Member. Since 1976 he has been conducting “Sound Solutions for film” course at the Higher Courses of Film Writers and Directors under UC of Russia. Since 1992 Roland Kazaryan is the head of the first workshop of audio engineering at the Directing Department of the VGIK. He was the head of Audio Engineering Chair, VGIK, 1999-2004.

Film critic, author and two time recipient of Irzykowski Award for Film Critics. Born in 1934 in Warsaw, Poland. In 1964 founded, and for 10 years directed, the monthly Film Society magazine Kultura filmowa (later Film na swiecie). Co-editor of film weekly Ekran (1965-73) and Editor in Chief of Kwartalnik Filmowy (1989-97) published by Art Institute of Polish Academy of Science. Wrote a lot of articles about films and life of Sergei Parajanov. Member of editorial team of magazine Kino-teatr (Kiev). Worked on, edited and analysed numerous film screenplays during his work as Director of feature film department in Polish Television TVP (1973-79) and in TVP channel 1 (1994-2001). Literary Manager on several feature films and TV series. Lectured on film drama. For 10 years, until 2010, Literary Manager and Co-writer of popular TV soap Plebania. In 1980’s and 1990’s regularly had published essays on the issues and problems surrounding disintegration of the USSR and on Russia in monthly magazine Przeglad powszechny, including a series of articles on the Armenian genocide of 1915.

Born in Pais Vasco, Spain, in 1940. Víctor Erice is one of the most prominent and original directors of world cinema. Moving to Madrid, when 17, he entered the Official Film School (EOC), and he graduated specializing in Film Directing. In 1969 he made his debut as a professional director filming one of three episodes in a movie called Challenges. In 1973 he shot his first feature film, The Spirit of the Beehive, winner of the First prize at the IFF of San Sebastian, and remarkably well received by audience and critics. 1992 was the year of Quince Tree of the Sun, in collaboration with artist Antonio López, presented at Cannes IFF, where it won the Jury Prize and the International Critic Prize (FIPRESCI). In 2005, answering the demand of Barcelona’s Centre de Cultura Contemporànea, and within the context of the Exhibition Erice-Kiarostami: Correspondence, he started filming in video a series of short movies called Letters to Abbas Kiarostami (Sea-Mail). On the same occasion, in 2006, he wrote and directed La Morte Rouge. In 2005 the retrospective of his films took place at the Pesaro IFF (Italy). In 2010 Victor Erice was a member of Cannes FF International Jury.

Born in 1946, M.A. in art history (Moscow University), professor, Ph.D. in cultural studies, Director of the Russian Institute for Cultural Research, author of 14 books and more than 300 articles on art history, film and the media, cultural policy and development. Organiser of film festivals and TV programmes on film and art. Previous positions: researcher at the Russian Film Archive (Gosfilmofond), special assistant to the president of the State Film Committee, professor of film history, media and cultural studies at the State Film Institute (VGIK), High courses for film directors and script writers and the Institute for European culture in Moscow.

Charles Tesson is the Artistic Director of Critic’s Week at Cannes FF. He is also film critic in Cahiers du cinéma where he began in 1979, and former editor of this magazine (1998-2003). He is also professor in cinema, history and aesthetics, at la Sorbonne Nouvelle (University of Paris III). He has been teacher for many years in Analysis of Films at National Film School La FEMIS and film distributor (Lasa Films, 1986-90). He wrote several books and essays on cinema, as Satyajit Ray (1992), Luis Bunuel (1995), El from Luis Bunuel (1996), Photogénie de la Série B (1997), Théâtre et cinéma (2007) and Akira Kurosawa (2008). He directed few special issues for Cahiers du cinéma, as Made in Hong Kong (1984) with Olivier Assayas, Made in China (1999) and co-directed the book L’Asie à Hollywood (2001).