Aleksei Guerman, son of the famous Soviet writer Yuri Guerman, was born in Russia on 20 June 1938. In 1961, he graduated from the Alexander Ostrovsky Institute for Dramatic Arts in Leningrad. In 1964, he joined Lenfilm studios, first as an Assistant Director, later a Director. His debut film was co-directed with Gregori Aronov in 1967.
Three of his five films were censored and were only released after the time of Perestroika. For a while, he was Manager of Lenfilm studios in St Petersburg, where all his films were made. Two of his masterpieces are "20 Days Without War"and "My Friend Ivan Lapshin", which was made in 1982 and banned before it was recognised as a major work. In 1998, "Khrustalyov, My Car!" met with great critical acclaim when presented at Cannes.
His last film, "Hard to Be a God" (unfinished) is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by the Strugatsky brothers (Seabury Press, 1973). The work is a philosophical exploration of the course of History and the machinations of power.
Aleksei German passed away on 21 February 2013 in St Petersburg.
Jury attendance
- Member Feature films, 1990
