Sergei Apollinariyevich Gerasimov (21 May 1906 – 26 November 1985) was a Soviet film director and screenwriter. The oldest film school in the world, the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography (VGIK), bears his name.

Career

Gerasimov started his film industry career as an actor in 1924. At first he appeared in Kozintsev and Trauberg films, such as The Overcoat and The New Babylon. Later, he was commissioned to produce screen versions of the literary classics of socialist realism. His epic screenings of Alexander Fadeyev's The Young Guard (1948) and Mikhail Sholokhov's And Quiet Flows the Don (1957–58) were extolled by the authorities as exemplary. During several decades of their teaching in the VGIK Gerasimov and his wife Tamara Makarova prepared many generations of Russian actors. He also taught acclaimed actor Georgiy Zhzhonov at the Leningrad Theatrical School. In his last film Gerasimov played Leo Tolstoy, while Makarova was cast as Tolstoy's wife. Gerasimov is buried in the Novodevichy Cemetery of Moscow. A rare glimpse of Sergei Gerasimov can be found in a one and a half minute behind the scenes documentary featured as part of the Coming From The Movies Set series of Soviet film promos. In this piece Gerasimov can be seen in Norilsk on the set of his film The Love of Mankind. It's a story of two young architects struggling to build a new town in the Polar Regions. The film stars as the director of an Iron and Steel Works, Anatoly Solonitsyn as architect Kolmykov, Lyubov Virolainen as architect Arkhipova; and can be found as an extra on the 2003 DVD release of Andrei Tarkovsky's 1974 film The Mirror.

Moscow Film Festival

Gerasimov was the president of the jury at the 1959, 1965, 1969 and the 1985 Moscow International Film Festival. He was a member of the jury in 1961 and 1971. In 1967 his film The Journalist won the Grand Prix at the 1967 festival.

Awards and honours

and political activities

Filmography

Director

Actor