Iosif Yefimovich Kheifits (24 April 1995) was a Soviet film director, winner of two Stalin Prizes (1941, 1946),

People's Artist of USSR People's Artist of the USSR, also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to artists of the Soviet Union. The term is confusingly used to translate two Russian language titles: Народный арти� ...

(1964), Hero of Socialist Labor (1975). Member of the Communist Party of Soviet Union since 1945.

Life and career

Kheifets was born 17 December 1905 in

Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...

. In 1927 he graduated from the Leningrad Technical-Screen Art (present-day

Saint Petersburg State Institute of Film and Television Saint Petersburg State Institute of Film and Television () is a public university located in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It was founded in 1918. History Founded September 9, 1918, by decree of the Sovnarkom of the RSFSR in Petrograd as the Higher I ...

). In 1928, he graduated from the cinema faculty of . In 1928, Iosif Kheifets came to work at the film studio Sovkino (present-day Lenfilm Studio). In film, he first made his debut as a

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

, with and Aleksandr Zarkhi he created the scripts for films ' and '. Then, Iosif Kheifits became a director, while from 1928 to 1950 he worked with Aleksandr Zarkhi, headed the 1st Komsomol stage brigade of Sovkino, releasing films on the Soviet youth: '' Wind in the Face'' (1930), ''Noon'' (1931), and the comedy '' Hectic Days'' (1935). '' Baltic Deputy'' (1937) featured how Russian scientist Professor Polezhayev (based on the life of

Kliment Timiryazev Kliment Arkadievich Timiryazev, sometimes Timiriazev (; – 28 April 1920) was a Russian botanist and physiologist and a major proponent of thought of Charles Darwin in Russia. He founded a faculty of plant physiology and a laboratory at the P ...

, starring Nikolay Konstantinovich Cherkasov) joined the

October Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...

. A significant performance was in '' Member of the Government'' (1939), a film centered on the image of a Russian peasant woman (starring Vera Maretskaya), who took the difficult path from a farmhand to a deputy of the

Supreme Soviet The Supreme Soviet () was the common name for the legislative bodies (parliaments) of the Soviet socialist republics (SSR) in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). These soviets were modeled after the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, establ ...

. Together with Zarkhi, Kheifits set such films as '' His Name Is Sukhe-Bator'' (1942), '' The Last Hill'' (1944), and the 1945 documentary ''The Defeat of Japan''. In the 1950s, Kheifits directed such films as '' A Big Family'', '' Rumyantsev Case'', and '' My Beloved''. He later turned towards the Russian classics, filming works of

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; ; 29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, widely considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his b ...

Ivan Turgenev Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev ( ; rus, links=no, Иван Сергеевич ТургеневIn Turgenev's day, his name was written ., p=ɪˈvan sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ tʊrˈɡʲenʲɪf; – ) was a Russian novelist, short story writer, poe ...

, and Aleksandr Kuprin: '' Lady with the Dog'', '' The Bad Good Man'', '' Asya'', and '. In 1970, his film ''

Hail, Mary! ''Hail, Mary!'' () is a 1970 Soviet drama film directed by Iosif Kheifits. It was entered into the 7th Moscow International Film Festival where Ada Rogovtseva won the award for Best Actress. The film is based on the life of Maria Fortus. Plo ...

'' was entered in the

7th Moscow International Film Festival The 7th Moscow International Film Festival was held from 20 July to 3 August 1971. The Golden Prizes were awarded to the Italian film '' Confessions of a Police Captain'' directed by Damiano Damiani, the Japanese film '' Live Today, Die Tomorrow ...

. In 1975 he was a member of the jury at the

9th Moscow International Film Festival The 9th Moscow International Film Festival was held from 10 to 23 July 1975. The Golden Prizes were awarded to the Polish film '' The Promised Land'' directed by Andrzej Wajda, the Soviet-Japanese film '' Dersu Uzala'' directed by Akira Kurosawa ...

. Deep exposition of the inner nature of characters and a refined understanding of cinematic language can be listed as distinctive features of his work. His films hosted renowned performances by many actors, such as Iya Savvina, Alexei Batalov, Anatoly Papanov, Oleg Dal,

Vladimir Vysotsky Vladimir Semyonovich Vysotsky (25 January 193825 July 1980) was a Soviet singer-songwriter, poet, and actor who had an immense and enduring effect on Soviet culture. He became widely known for his unique singing style and for his lyrics, which ...

, Lyudmila Maksakova, Ada Rogovtseva, Elena Koreneva,

Stanislav Sadalskiy Stanislav Yurievich Sadalsky (; born 8 August 1951 in Chuvashia) is a Soviet and Russian actor. Selected filmography * '' The Twelve Chairs'' (Двенадцать стульев, 1971) as ''Fireman in the theater "Columbus"'' * '' The Meeting ...

. Kheifits was honored with various film awards, including at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

. Kheifits's last work was the dramatic film '' Vagrant Bus'', which was released in 1989. Iosif Kheifits died on 24 April 1995. He was buried at the cemetery in Komarovo.

Filmography

Directing work

Assistant director

* 1928 - ' * 1930 - '

Director

* 1930 - '' Wind in the Face'' * 1931 - ''Noon'' * 1933 - '' My Motherland'' * 1935 - '' Hectic Days'' * 1936 - '' Baltic Deputy'' * 1939 - '' Member of the Government'' * 1942 - '' His Name Is Sukhe-Bator'' * 1944 - '' The Last Hill'' * 1946 - '' In the Name of Life'' * 1948 - '' The Precious Seed'' * 1950 - '' The Lights of Baku'' * 1953 - '' Spring in Moscow'' * 1954 - '' A Big Family'' * 1955 - '' The Rumyantsev Case'' * 1958 - '' My Beloved'' * 1961 - '' The Horizon'' * 1960 - '' Lady with the Dog'' * 1963 - '' A Day of Happiness'' * 1966 - '' In S. City'' * 1971 - ''

'' * 1973 - '' The Bad Good Man'' * 1975 - ' * 1977 - '' Asya'' * 1979 - ' * 1983 - ' * 1986 - ' * 1988 - '' Whose Are You, Old People?'' * 1989 - '' Vagrant Bus''

Written scenarios

* 1928 - ' * 1935 - '' Red Army Days'' * 1939 - '' Member of the Government'' * 1944 - '' The Last Hill'' * 1986 - ' * 1989 - '' Vagrant Bus''

Awards and prizes

* Stalin Prize, second class (1941); for the film "Baltic Deputy" (1936) * Stalin Prize of the first degree (1946); for the documentary "The defeat of Japan" (1945) *

People's Artist of the USSR People's Artist of the USSR, also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to artists of the Soviet Union. The term is confusingly used to translate two Russian language titles: Народный арти ...

(1964) *

Hero of Socialist Labour The Hero of Socialist Labour () was an Title of honor, honorific title in the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact countries from 1938 to 1991. It represented the highest degree of distinction in the USSR and was awarded for exceptional achievem ...

(1975)

Notes

References

External links

* *
Film Reference
- Heifitz, Iosif {{DEFAULTSORT:Kheifits, Iosif 1905 births 1995 deaths Film people from Minsk People from Minsky Uyezd Belarusian Jews Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Soviet film directors Soviet screenwriters Soviet male screenwriters Academic staff of High Courses for Scriptwriters and Film Directors Socialist realist artists People's Artists of the USSR Heroes of Socialist Labour Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Stalin Prize Recipients of the Order of Friendship of Peoples