Aleksandr Konstantinovich Petrov (also Alexander or Alexandre) () (born 17 July 1957 in
Prechistoye,
Yaroslavl Oblast) is a Russian
animator
An animator is an artist who creates images, known as frames, which give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, and video games. Animat ...
and
animation director.
Biography
Petrov was born in the village of
Prechistoye (
Yaroslavl Oblast) and lives in
Yaroslavl. He studied art at
VGIK (state institute of cinema and TV) and was a disciple of
Yuriy Norshteyn at Moscow's Advanced School for Screenwriters and Directors.
After making his first films in Russia he moved to
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
where he adapted the novel ''
The Old Man and the Sea'', resulting in a 20-minute animated short — the first large-format animated film ever made. Technically impressive, the film is made entirely in
pastel oil paintings on glass, a technique mastered by only a handful of animators in the world. By using his fingertips instead of a paintbrush on different glass sheets positioned on multiple levels, each covered with slow-drying oil paints, he was able to add depth to his paintings. After photographing each frame painted on the glass sheets, which was four times larger than the usual
A4-sized canvas, he had to slightly modify the painting for the next frame and so on. It took him over two years—from March 1997 through April 1999—to paint each of the 29,000+ frames. For the shooting of the frames a special adapted motion-control camera system was built, probably the most precise computerized animation stand ever made. On this an
IMAX
IMAX is a proprietary system of High-definition video, high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and movie theater, theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (image), aspect ratio (approximately ei ...
camera was mounted, and a video-assist camera was then attached to the IMAX camera. The film was highly acclaimed, receiving the
Academy Award for Animated Short Film and Grand Prix at the
Annecy International Animated Film Festival.
After this, Aleksandr Petrov has maintained a close relationship with Pascal Blais Studio in Canada, which helped fund ''The Old Man and the Sea'', where he works on commercials. He returned to Yaroslavl in Russia to work on his latest film, ''My Love'', which was finished in spring 2006 after three years' work and had its premiere at the
Hiroshima International Animation Festival on 27 August, where it won the Audience Prize and the Special International Jury Prize. On 17 March 2007, ''My Love'' was theatrically released at the
Cinema Angelika in
Shibuya
is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in Tokyo, Japan. A major commercial center, Shibuya houses one of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shibuya Station.
As of January 1, 2024, Shibuya Ward has an estimated population of 230,60 ...
, (Japan) by
Studio Ghibli
is a Japanese animation studio based in Koganei, Tokyo."Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment". ''Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment''. Retrieved 2020-12-14. It has a strong presence in the animation industry and has exp ...
, as the first release of the "Ghibli Museum Library" (theatrical and DVD releases of Western animated films in Japan).
In a 2009 interview, Petrov stated that he was jobless and using-up the last of his previously earned money. A 2010 article stated that Petrov wants to create an animated feature film with his technique, but cannot start because of lack of funds. Four years later he directed a three-minute animated sequence for the Sochi
Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games or Paralympics is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of disability, disabilities. There are Winter Paralympic Games, Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 ...
called ''Firebird'' (Жар-птица). In an interview later that year, Petrov confirmed that if he can find the funding, he would like to work on a feature film in the future using his signature style, and stated that he is currently working on a film project but that it is progressing with great difficulty.
In July 2016, Petrov sat on the board of directors for the
International Film Festival of Poetic Animation held in
Pergola, Italy.
In July 2020, Petrov told reporters that he had started pre-production work on a 60-minute biographical film called ''
Knyaz
A , also , ''knjaz'' or (), is a historical Slavs, Slavic title, used both as a royal and noble title in different times. It is usually translated into English language, English as 'prince', 'king' or 'duke', depending on specific historical c ...
'' about
Alexander Nevsky, which would be released in 2025. In March 2021 he said that the film had entered production and would be released in late 2024. Nevsky exhibited sketches for the film in 2023 and 2024.
Artistic style
Petrov's style from the late 1980s onward can be characterized as a type of
Romantic realism. People, animals and landscapes are painted and animated in a very
realistic fashion, but there are many sections in his films where Petrov attempts to depict a character's inner thoughts and dreams. In ''The Old Man and the Sea'', for example, the fisherman dreams that he and the
marlin are brothers swimming through the sea and the sky. In ''My Love'', the main character's illness is represented by showing him being buried beneath freshly fallen snow on a dark night.
Filmography
Director
*
1988—''Marathon'',
''Марафон'' (Marafon) (directed and animated with
Mikhail Tumelya)
*
1989
1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
—''
The Cow'',
''Корова'' (Korova) (after
Andrey Platonov)
*
1992
1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General.
* January 6
** The Republ ...
—''
The Dream of a Ridiculous Man'',
''Сон смешного человека'' (Son smeshnovo cheloveka) (after
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. () was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist and journalist. He is regarded as one of the greatest novelists in both Russian and world literature, and many of his works are considered highly influent ...
)
*
1997
Events January
* January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States.
* January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis.
* January 1 ...
—''
Mermaid'',
''Русалка'' (Rusalka) (after
Alexander Pushkin
Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin () was a Russian poet, playwright, and novelist of the Romantic era.Basker, Michael. Pushkin and Romanticism. In Ferber, Michael, ed., ''A Companion to European Romanticism''. Oxford: Blackwell, 2005. He is consid ...
)
*
1999
1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons.
Events January
* January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers.
* January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
—''
The Old Man and the Sea'' (after
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway ( ; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized fo ...
)
*
2003
2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater.
In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War.
Demographic ...
—Participated in ''
Winter Days'',
''冬の日'' (Fuyu no hi)
*
2006—''
My Love'',
''Моя любовь'' (Moya lyubov) (after
Ivan Shmelev)
*
2014
The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
—''Firebird'',
Жар-птица (Zhar-ptitsa)
Art director
*
1984—''
By a Wave of the Wand'',
''По щучьему велению'' (Po shchuchyemu veleniyu) (directed by
Valeriy Fomin,
cutout animation)
*
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...
—''
Tale of a Small Fry'',
''Сказочка про козявочку'' (Skazochka pro kozyavochku) (directed by
Vladimir Petkevich, paint-on-glass)
*
1986—''
Welcome'',
''Добро пожаловать'' (Dobro pozhalovat) (directed by
Alexei Karayev
Alexey ( ; ), is a Russian and Bulgarian male given name derived from the Greek language, Greek ''Aléxios'' (), meaning "Defender", and thus of the same origin as the Latin Alexius.
Similar Ukraine, Ukrainian and Belarus, Belarusian names are ...
, paint-on-glass)
*
1989
1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
—''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'',
''Хранитель'' (Khranitel) (directed by
Vladimir Petkevich, ?)
Awards
*
1988—
Ottawa International Animation Festival: ''Welcome'', "Grand Prix"
*
1990—
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...
: ''The Cow'', "Honorable Mention" in the category "Best Short Film"
*1990—
Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film: ''The Cow'' (nominated)
*1990—
Ottawa International Animation Festival: ''The Cow'', "OIAF Award for Best First Film"
*
1992
1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General.
* January 6
** The Republ ...
—
Bombay International Documentary, Short and Animation Film Festival: ''The Cow'', "Golden Conch for Best Animation Film"
*1992—
Ottawa International Animation Festival: ''The Dream of a Ridiculous Man'', "Audience Award" and "OIAF Award for Best Production Between 10 and 30 Minutes in Length"
*
1993
The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as:
* International Year for the World's Indigenous People
The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...
—
Cracow Film Festival: ''The Dream of a Ridiculous Man'', "Special Mention for the depiction of a crucial subject in the form of animation"
*
1997
Events January
* January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States.
* January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis.
* January 1 ...
—
Cinanima: ''The Mermaid'', "Grand Prize"
*1997—
International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film: ''The Mermaid'', "Honorable Mention" in the category "Animated Films and Videos"
*1997—
2nd Open Russian Festival of Animated Film: ''The Mermaid'', "Best Animator of a Drawn Film", "3rd Place Rating by Audience Vote"
*
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
—
Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film: ''The Mermaid'' (nominated)
*1998—
Ottawa International Animation Festival: ''The Mermaid'', "Craft Prize" in the category "Best Story"
*1998—
Zagreb World Festival of Animated Films: ''The Mermaid'', "Grand Prize"
*
1999
1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons.
Events January
* January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers.
* January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
—
Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film: ''The Old Man and the Sea''
*
2006—11th
Hiroshima International Animation Festival: ''My Love'', "Audience Prize" and "Special International Jury Prize"
*2006—
International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film: ''My Love'', "
FIPRESCI
The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for ''Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique'') is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the wor ...
Prize for Best Animation"
*
2006—
Animation Show of Shows; ''My Love''
*
2007
2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year.
Events
January
* January 1
**Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
—
12th Open Russian Festival of Animated Film: ''My Love'', "Grand Prix", "Best Direction" and "Best Visuals"
*
2007
2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year.
Events
January
* January 1
**Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
—
XVII International "Message to Man" Film Festival: ''My Love'', "Grand Prix"
*
2007
2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year.
Events
January
* January 1
**Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
—
Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film: ''My Love'' (nominated)
Bibliography
*
Olivier Cotte (2007) ''Secrets of Oscar-Winning Animation: Behind the Scenes of 13 Classic Short Animations.'' (''
The Old Man and the Sea'') Focal Press.
References
External links
*
Pascal Blais Studio- here you can see clips of Petrov's films (enter the English site, then click on "directors")
Aleksandr Petrovat
animator.ru
English interview with AWNTrailer for the upcoming Ghibli DVD release of "My Love"
Fragment from Aleksandr Petrov's ''My Love'' with Esperanto subtitles
{{DEFAULTSORT:Petrov, Aleksandr
1957 births
Living people
People from Pervomaysky District, Yaroslavl Oblast
Soviet animation directors
Soviet film directors
Russian animators
Russian animated film directors
20th-century Russian painters
Russian male painters
21st-century Russian painters
High Courses for Scriptwriters and Film Directors alumni
Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography alumni
Soviet animators
Directors of Best Animated Short Academy Award winners
20th-century Russian male artists
21st-century Russian male artists