Andrei Zagdansky

Award-winning documentary filmmaker Andrei Zagdansky was born on March 9, 1956 in Kiev, Ukraine, back then a part of the Soviet Union. He received a MFA with distinction from Kiev State University of Theatrical Arts. His first feature documentary, the seminal Interpretation of Dreams (1990), juxtaposed the filmmaker's dialog with Sigmund Freud and the history of the Soviet Union. The result was "interesting and provocative" (Vincent Canby, The New York Times) and an "astonishing marriage of Freudian thinking and history" (Boston Globe). The film was awarded with the Grand-Prix of the last "All- Union" Documentary film festival in 1990 (the Soviet Union ceased to exist the following year) and premiered at the opening night of IDFA that same year. In 1992 Andrei and his family relocated to the United States. In 1994 he received a Rockefeller Fellowship. He taught several film courses at New School in New York. Over the years he directed/produced a number of innovative, personal documentaries - "My Father Evgeni", "Konstantin and Mouse"; often blending documentary footage with animation - "Vasya", "Vagrich and the Black Square" or staged theatrical performances - "Orange Winter".