Vladimir Karabanov
Director
A graduate of the Kiev Tchaikovsky State Conservatory and the Adabashyan class at the Higher Courses of Film Directing and Screenwriting. Soloist of the Kamerata Chamber Orchestra (1989 – 1993). From 1993 to 1995 Vladimir Karabanov performed at the Cairo Opera House and the Ukraine’s Soloist Quartet at the Ukrainian Embassy in Egypt. From 1997 to 1999 he was a postgraduate student of the Moscow Tchaikovsky State Conservatory and the first violin in the New Classic Stars Quartet. Vladimir Karabanov directed the films Rondo of The Opera Patriarch (documentary) and Criminal Circumstances (feature). The Elephant is his cinematic debut.
Ruslan Gerasimenkov
Director of Photography
A graduate of The Bauman Moscow State Technical University (MGTU) and of the A. Knyazhinsky, V. Nakhabtsev and V. Medynski class at the Russian State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK). The director of photography of the films Stone («Kamen»), Gromozeka, One War («Odna voyna»), Closed Spaces («Zakrytye prostranstva»), Atomic Ivan («Atomny Ivan») and others. Ruslan Gerasimenkov’s films were presented at film festivals in Karlovy Vary, Rotterdam, Toronto, Sofia, Houston, Tehran, Tampere and Cairo. A winner of the Russian Guild of Cinematographers White Square Award for the film One War. A member of the Russian Guild of Cinematographers and the European Federation of Cinematographers IMAGO.
Igor Kotsarev
Production Designer
A graduate of the Russian State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK), M.A.Bogdanov’s class. Worked upon the music videos Theatre for the Russian band Alisa, and A Glass of Wine for Anna Likholet. Igor Kotsarev’s paintings were exhibited at the Moscow Central House of Artists, Manezh Exhibit Hall and Sotheby’s in Tel-Aviv. Kotsarev’s cinema works include Gromozeka, One War («Odna voyna»), All Gone to the Front («Vse ushli na front»), The Three and the Snowflake («Troe I Snezhinka»), Travelling with Pets («Puteshestvie s domashnimy zhivotnymi»), Piter FM, The Island («Ostrov») and others.
Sergei Akhunov
composer
A musician, composer and arranger. Collaborates with the leading Russian musicians and composes cinema music. A graduate of the Kiev Tchaikovsky State Conservatory. Until the ‘00s Sergei Akhunov composed primarily electronic music and rock-n-roll pieces. However the influence of the modern composers, such as Valentin Silvestrov, Arvo Pärt, Vladimir Martynov, Giya Kancheli and others, made him try himself as a chamber music composer. In 2005 Sergei Akhunov composed his first chamber piece - string quartet Floridas. The piece was performed by L’Orchestre de Bretagne in France and by the Romantic quartet in Moscow. Sergei Akhunov is the author of many other pieces, such as Four Seasons for 2 violins and the strings (the first performance took place in Saint-Malo, France in 2009), Hugo’s Empty Page for violoncello, piano and a string orchestra, Van Gogh's Dreams piano quartet, A Great Elegy to John Cage trio, This Is Not a Garden, but Must Be Near…, Centaurs for solo instruments and others.
Tatiana Knyazheva
Costume designer
A graduate of the Moscow State University of Design and Technologies (MGUDT), Tatiana Knyazheva designs costumes for theatrical and film productions, such as Mayonnaise, Buben-Baraban, Network Guardians («Khraniteli seti»), Over the City («Nad gorodom»), Atomic Ivan («Atomny Ivan»), Following You («Za toboy»), The Convoy («Konvoy») and others.
Marianna Gaiduk
Costume designer
A graduate of the Moscow State University of Design and Technologies. Designs costumes for theatrical and film productions, such as Mama-Moscow, Atomic Ivan («Atomny Ivan»), The Hunter («Okhotnik») and others.
Anna Kornienko
Make-up artist
A graduate of the Moscow Artistic and Pedagogical College of Technologies and Design, a student of the Moscow State University of Design and Technologies. Works as a cinema makeup and costume designer. Her cinema works include The Fathers’ Sins («Grekhi otzov»), Love Talisman («Takisman lubvi»), The Network («Set»), Zero Kilometer («Nulevoy kilometr»), Where Do Children Come From? («Otkuda berutza deti»), The Atlántida, No Wonders («Chudes ne byvaet»), Quarantine, Criminal Circumstances («Kriminalnye odstoyatelstva»).
Galina Kosygina
Make-up artist
A graduate of the Odessa Theatrical Art and Technics School, with a degree in makeup art. She has been working over thirty years at Belarusfilm cinema studio. Her works include more than forty films, among them Red, Honest, in Love («Ryzhy, chestny, vlublenny»), Peter Pan, Do Not Leave («Ne pokiday»), Franz + Polina, The Last Armoured Train («Posledny bronepoezd»), June, 1941 («V iyune 1941»), The Red Ice. The Saga of Yugra Hunts («Krasny led. Saga o hantakh Yugry»), The Insight («Insayt»), Lonely Island («Odinoky ostrov») and many others.
Yaroslav Jivov
Producer
A graduate of the Moscow Power Engineering Institute and the Ontario Chamber of Commerce Training Centre (international export-import operations). A member of the Board of Directors of the international multi-profile investment financial holding Kapitel. Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Kapitel Energo industrial engineering company. Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Monarch Group of Companies.
Elena Glikman
Producer
A graduate of the Moscow State University Faculty of Journalism and the Igor Tovstunov’s producers class at the Higher Courses of Film Directing and Screenwriting. Since 1991 she has been directing (in partnership with Mikhail Degtyar) the Reporter TV-studio (special reports and documentary films). The Reporter studio is a four-time TEFI award winner, Lavr award and many other international prizes winner. The producer at Telesto Film Company (since 2007), a member of the German-Russian and the French-Russian Film Academies. Elena Glikman was the producer of the films Piter FM, Plus One («Plus odin»), Cops and Robbers («Kazaki-razboyniki»), Quiet Family Life («Tikhaya semeynaya zhizn»), New Year Tariff («Tarif Novogodny»), Atomic Ivan («Atomny Ivan»), and others.
Alexey Uchitel
Producer
A graduate of the S. A. Gerasimov Russian State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK). Worked as director-cameraman at the Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) documentary films studio. Art Director and General Director of the Rock Films studio (founded in 1991). Winner of many international and Russian film festival awards. Director of the films His Wife’s Diary («Dnevnik ego zheny»), Dreaming of Space («Kosmos kak predchustvie»), Captive («Plenny»), The Edge («Kray»), The Stroll («Progulka») and others. Producer of the films Pavlov’s Dog («Sobaka Pavlova»), Love Affair («Svyaz»), Sukhodol, The Road to…(«Doroga na…»), I’ll Be Around («Ya budu ryadom»).
Tatiana Sarana
Associate Producer
A graduate of the Moscow State University Faculty of Journalism. A scriptwriter, editor, associate producer. Since 2004 Tatiana Sarana has been the Associate Producer at Telesto Film Company. She wrote the scripts for the films The Letter (presented at the out-of-competition program at the Cannes International Film Festival) Cops and Robbers («Kazaki-razboyniki»), Hen Party («Devichnik»), The Lucky Pashka («Schastlivchik Pashka»), The Winner («Pobeditel») and others. She was the associate producer of the films Quiet Family Life («Tikhaya semeynaya zhizn»), The Letter («Pismo»), Colour of the Skies («Tzvet neba»), Cops and Robbers («Kazaki-razboyniki»), Atomic Ivan («Atomny Ivan»), Plus One («Plus odin») and others.
Victoria Gromik
Executive Producer
Victoria Gromik is the executive producer at Telesto Film Company. From 2001 to 2004 she worked at the Savva Kulish Independent Experimental Centre of Culture and Information (NETSKI). Victoria Gromik stadied at the A. M. Gorky Institute of Literature. The executive producer of the TV movies The Wrong Ones Are Always Kissed («Celuyut vsegda ne tekh»), Colour of the Skies («Tzvet neba»), The Treasure («Sokrovishe»), Quiet Family Life («Tikhaya semeynaya zhizn»), Cops and Robbers («Kazaki-razboyniki») and feature films Plus One («Plus odin»), New Year Tariff («Tarif Novogodny»), Atomic Ivan («Atomny Ivan»), and others.
Kira Saksaganskaya
Co-Producer
Kira Saksaganskaya has been the co-producer at Rock Films studio since 1991. She is a member of the German-Russian and French-Russian Film Academies. She was the producer of the films Sukhodol, The Edge («Kray»), Living («Zhit»), Captive («Plenny»), Dreaming of Space («Kosmos kak predchustvie»), The Stroll («Progulka»).