Konstantin Kong-Takovich Fam (, born 13 July 1972, Pervomayskiy,

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

) is a Ukrainian-born independent director, producer, and screenwriter. His film '' "Shoes"'', a tribute to the memory of

Holocaust victims Nazi Germany discriminated against and persecuted people on the basis of their race or ethnicity (actual or perceived), religious affiliation, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and, where applicable, mental or physical disabilities. Di ...

, was the only Russian short movie nominated for the

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

in 2013.

Early life

Konstantin Fam was born in the town of Pervomayskiy in Kharkiv oblast in

Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as the Ukrainian SSR, UkrSSR, and also known as Soviet Ukraine or just Ukraine, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1991. ...

. His father, Nguyen (Pham) Kong Tak, a Vietnamese veteran of guerilla wars. After he sought political asylum in the Soviet Union, he was not allowed to live in big cities and the family was under the constant

KGB The Committee for State Security (, ), abbreviated as KGB (, ; ) was the main security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991. It was the direct successor of preceding Soviet secret police agencies including the Cheka, Joint State Polit ...

supervision. Fam's mother, Svetlana Naumovna Malkina, was Jewish. The majority of her relatives perished in the Holocaust, and she has been hiding her Jewishness throughout her whole life. His parents' stories influenced Konstantin's creative world outlook. Konstantin lived in the town of Pervomayskiy until the age of 15 and then entered the

Dnipropetrovsk Dnipro is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper River, Dnipro River, from which it takes its name. Dnipro is t ...

State Theatre School for the Puppetry Arts. Initially, he wished to be in acting classes as puppetry was considered to be a less prestigious theatre form. However, Fam admitted years later that his specialty provided him with the extensive experience in the construction of music, staging, as well as in the ability to animate inanimate objects. Subsequently, this experience was useful when shooting "

Shoes A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. Though the human foot can adapt to varied terrains and climate conditions, it is vulnerable, and shoes provide protection. Form was originally tied to function, but ...

Early career

After graduation, Fam moved to Tbilisi to work in a theater. After military conflict outbreak in Georgia in 1991, he moved to

Chernihiv Chernihiv (, ; , ) is a city and municipality in northern Ukraine, which serves as the administrative center of Chernihiv Oblast and Chernihiv Raion within the oblast. Chernihiv's population is The city was designated as a Hero City of Ukraine ...

in Ukraine, where he worked as an actor in a local theater. However, he was typically offered roles that in accordance with his Asian appearance, which didn't match his ambitions. In 1992, he moved to Moscow and started working on television projects. In 1997, Fam entered Russian State Institute of Cinematography (

VGIK The Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography, officially the S. A. Gerasimov All-Russian University of Cinematography (, meaning ''All-Russian State Institute of Cinematography named after S. A. Gerasimov''), a.k.a. VGIK, is a film school in Moscow, ...

), the Course of Screenwriting headed by the great Valentin Yezhov. After two years studying he decided to leave it and concentrate on business development. He started studying film equipment rental, as well as filming TV commercials, advertisements, music videos and image movies. In 1998, he was a writer of children's comic film magazine "

Yeralash ''Yeralash'' ( rus, Ералаш, p=jɪrɐˈlaʂ) is a Soviet and Russian children's comedy television show and magazine. Yeralash also runs an actor studio and the "Yeralash Island" camp. The word ''yeralash'' means "mixed, mishmash" or "jumble ...

", as well as a director. In the 2000s ran a large cinemachinery leasing business also shooting television commercials. During this period, Constantine acted in various production roles, ranging from small roles to producing and directing. The company was closed due to 2008 crisis. Constantine had a dream to earn the necessary amount of money, to shoot a comedy based on his own scenario and start working on his own projects.

Creative period

From the sixteen, Costa has been forming the list of projects he would like to implement. In 2008, he became the second director and screenwriter of the comedy club, Women's League, having worked for two seasons. After this, Konstantin acted as a director of 10 episodes sketch show "Caution: Children!" His love to the sketches Konstantin refers to the manifestation of his national identity. Willing to develop himself as a filmmaker, he entered the NYFA, took all of the film production courses.

''"Hedgehog"''

Education ended with 13-week production period, during which a short film based on the story of

Grigori Gorin Grigori Israilevich Gorin (, born ''Ofshtein'' (); March 12, 1940, Moscow — June 15, 2000, Moscow) was a Soviet and Russian playwright and writer of Jewish descent. Gorin is particularly credited with scripts for several plays and films,mostl ...

was shot. In the center of the story there is a boy, who changed a winning lottery ticket on the Hedgehog. Boy's father was trying to return the ticket by all means. The story gained the festival success, and then has been invited to many showings. It won the Grand Prix Festival in São Paulo in Brazil. The movie was taken to the Short Film Corner program in

Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...

''"Witnesses"''

"Witnesses" is the first feature film in former Soviet Union produced in memory of the

. ''Witnesses'' is the historical drama that consists of three short films ''

'', ''

Brutus Marcus Junius Brutus (; ; 85 BC – 23 October 42 BC) was a Roman politician, orator, and the most famous of the assassins of Julius Caesar. After being adopted by a relative, he used the name Quintus Servilius Caepio Brutus, which was reta ...

'' and ''Violin'' united by the idea to be produced in memory of the greatest tragedy of the 20th century. The project is being elaborated in the memory of the perished people because there is hardly a single Jewish family that didn't lose their loved ones on the run of the mass destruction in the 20th-century catastrophe. The key purpose of the project is to spread the knowledge about the history and to remind the young generation of the tragedy in order to prevent it in the future.

''"Shoes"''

The film "Shoes" is the first novel of the trilogy "Witnesses". "Witnesses" is the first feature film in former Soviet Union produced in memory of the

. During the filming Costa has spent four months in Europe. ''

SHOES A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. Though the human foot can adapt to varied terrains and climate conditions, it is vulnerable, and shoes provide protection. Form was originally tied to function, but ...

'' traces the personal history of a Jewish girl from the point of view of a pair of red shoes. Starting from the shop window where the shoes were purchased and ending at a mountain of discarded shoes of the victims, the viewer witnesses the effects of the tragedy of fascism. The film is the winner of many awards and film festivals, it is invited to the Visual Centre

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem (; ) is Israel's official memorial institution to the victims of Holocaust, the Holocaust known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (). It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; echoing the stories of the ...

(Israel), along with the outstanding films about the Holocaust made by

Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...

, Polanski, Benigni. During the 8th International Video Festival Empire (Italy) the film awarded the Gran Prix Silver reel of film as one of the most important in cultural and education spheres. This festival is held under the patronage of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

and listed the 13 most important festivals in the world that support the cultural heritage and education. The festival presents 721 works from 52 countries. Recently Shoes has been qualified for 2013

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

consideration.

'' "Brutus" ''

"Brutus" continues concept of The trilogy "Witnesses" and tells us story of the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

through the eyes of a German Shepherd dog Brutus. The

Nuremberg Laws The Nuremberg Laws (, ) were antisemitic and racist laws that were enacted in Nazi Germany on 15 September 1935, at a special meeting of the Reichstag convened during the annual Nuremberg Rally of the Nazi Party. The two laws were the Law ...

have separated the dog with his favorite mistress, Jewish woman. In the process of training and taming Brutus becomes a concentration camp beast-killer. The film is based on a novel of a Czech writer Ludvik Ashkenazy. Filmmakers from Russia, Romania, Israel, the United States, Moldova, Belarus and the Czech Republic participated in the production. The main roles in the film were performed by

Oksana Fandera Oksana Olegovna Fandera (; 7 November 1967), Odesa, Odesa Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union) is a Ukrainian-born Russian actress. Biography Oksana Olegovna Fandera was born on November 7, 1967, in Odesa. Her father was the actor Oleg Fander ...

Filipp Yankovsky Filipp Olegovich Yankovsky () is a Russians, Russian actor and film director. He was born on October 10, 1968, to actor Oleg Yankovsky. Life and career Filipp Yankovsky was born October 10, 1968, in Saratov in the family of actors Oleg Yankovsky ...

, Vladimir Koshevoy and Anna Churina. The Russian premiere of the film took place in the framework of the competition program

Moscow International Film Festival The Moscow International Film Festival (, Transliteration, translit. ''Moskóvskiy myezhdunaródniy kinofyestivál''; abbreviated as MIFF) is a film festival first held in Moscow in 1935 and became regular since 1959. From its inception to ...

in the summer of 2016. Film was longlisted to the 89th Academy Awards by

Academy Award for Live Action Short Film The Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film is an award presented at the annual Academy Awards ceremony. The award has existed, under numerous names, since 1957. From 1936 until 1956 there were two separate awards, ''Best Short Subject, On ...

and nominated on The Golden Eagle Award of

National Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences of Russia The National Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences of Russia is the official film academy of Russia. Every year it awards the Golden Eagle Award (Russia), Golden Eagle Award. References

Organizations established in 2002 Golden Eagle ...

''"Violin"''

Filming locations were situated in Moscow, New York, Belarus, the Czech Republic and Israel. The main roles were performed by Lenn Kudryavitsky, Oksana Fandera, Vladimir Koshevoi, Vyacheslav Chepurchenko,

Mikhail Gorevoy Mikhail Vitalievich Gorevoy (; born 19 May 1965) is a Russian actor, occasionally credited as Michael Gor in English language productions, best known internationally for playing Vladimir Popov in the James Bond film '' Die Another Day''. He als ...

and others. The film was premiered in the summer of 2017.

''"Kaddish"''

In this 2019 film, the testament of a former concentration camp prisoner confronts and turns the lives of two young people from different worlds around, shedding light on the tragic history of their family. Filming locations were situated in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

, and

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

'' Other activity ''

In 2015, Konstantin acted as president of the jury at the 1st Moscow Jewish Film Festival. Subsequently, he joined the team of the festival's creators and from 2016 to 2021 he held the position of one of the film festival's producers.

Awards and nominations

* For the film '' "Hedgehog" '': ** 2012 – Best Short Film Festival ArtDeco de Cinema, Brazil ** 2012 – Best feature films of the International Festival of Short Film and Animation "Vision", Russia * For the film '' "Shoes" '': ** 2013 –

Monaco International Film Festival The Monaco International Film Festival is an annual international special interest film festival held in Monaco. It is a non-profit organization, formed in December 2003 and founded by Rosana Golden and Dean Bentley The festival focuses on non-vio ...

(Monaco) ** 2013 – 8th International Video Festival Empire (Italy), Gran Prix Silver reel of film ** 2013 – Radiant Angel Festival (Russia), Best Live Action Short Film Award ** 2013 – Artkino Festival (Russia), The best experimental film Award ** 2013 – International Film Festival Vstreshi na Vjatke (Russia), The 1st prize ** 2013 – International Film Festival

Golden Apricot The ''Golden Apricot'' Yerevan International Film Festival (GAIFF; ) is an annual film festival held in Yerevan, Armenia. The festival was founded in 2004 with the co-operation of the "Golden Apricot" Fund for Cinema Development, the Armenian A ...

(Armenia), NewMag Award ** 2013 – Festival KONIK (Russia), the prize For the contribution to the short film development in Russia * For the film '' "Brutus" '': ** 2016 – The Nevada International Film Festival (USA), Experimental Film Competition, Platinum Reel Award Winner (2016) ** 2016 – Sochi International Film Awards (Russia), Special Prize (2016) ** 2016 – Film was longlisted to the 89th Academy Awards by

(USA) ** 2016 – The Golden Eagle Award of

Organizations established in 2002 Golden Eagle ...

(Russia) ** 2017 – Best Shorts Competition — "Best Jewish film" (USA)

Filmography

* 2022 – The Land of Sasha, feature film; Producer * 2020 –

Conference A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...

, feature film; Producer * 2019 –

Kaddish The Kaddish (, 'holy' or 'sanctification'), also transliterated as Qaddish, is a hymn praising God that is recited during Jewish prayer services. The central theme of the Kaddish is the magnification and sanctification of God's name. In the lit ...

, feature film; Writer, Director, Producer * 2018 –

Witnesses In law, a witness is someone who, either voluntarily or under compulsion, provides testimonial evidence, either oral or written, of what they know or claim to know. A witness might be compelled to provide testimony in court, before a grand jur ...

, feature film; Writer, Director, Producer * 2017 –

Violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

, short film; Writer, director, Producer * 2016 –

, short film; Writer, Director, Producer * 2013 –

, short film; Writer, Director, Producer * 2012 – Caution! Children, TV series on channel STS; Director * 2012 – Hedgehog, short film; Writer, Director, Producer * 2009–2010 – Women's League seasons 6-7, TV series on

TNT Troponin T (shortened TnT or TropT) is a part of the troponin complex, which are proteins integral to the contraction of skeletal and heart muscles. They are expressed in skeletal and cardiac myocytes. Troponin T binds to tropomyosin and helps ...

; Skit writer, Director

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fam, Costa Russian film directors Russian film producers Russian screenwriters Russian people of Vietnamese descent Russian male screenwriters 1972 births Living people People from Pervomaiskyi