Sergei Bodrov is the director-writer-producer of the epic biopicture Mongol, Kazakhstan’s official entry for the 2007 Foreign-Language Film Oscar.
An award-winning filmmaker known for his humanistic perspective, sense of humor and consummate craftsmanship, Sergei Bodrov has been a leading figure in Russian and world cinema for over two decades.
Since making his feature directorial debut in 1984, he has helmed fourteen feature films, writing or co-writing all but two. His work has been the subject of several retrospectives, the first of which was held at the 1993 Toronto Film Festival. He received tributes in 1996 and 1997, respectively, at the Thessaloniki and La Rochelle film festivals, and at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 1997.
Bodrov won international acclaim for his 1996 drama PRISONER OF THE MOUNTAINS, which received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Foreign Language Film. Co-written by Bodrov and based on a Leo Tolstoy novella, the film premiered at the 1996 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, where it won the Grand Prize (Crystal Globe) and the Award of the Ecumenical Jury. The film went on to win five Nikas, Russias national film awards, including Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay, and Bodrov received the 1996 European Film Award for Screenwriter of the Year.
His most recent directorial credits include the historical epic NOMAD (2005), co-directed with Ivan Passer; the romantic fable BEARS KISS (2002), which he also co-wrote and produced; the suspense drama THE QUICKIE (2000), which he co-wrote and produced, starring Vladimir Mashkov, Dean Stockwell, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Lesley Ann Warren; and the family film RUNNING FREE (1999).
Other credits include SWEET JUICE OF THE GRASS (1984), his feature directorial debut; NONPROFESSIONALS (1985), FREEDOM IS PARADISE (1989); GAMBLER (1990); I WANTED TO SEE ANGELS (1992); and WHITE KING, RED QUEEN (1992). His upcoming projects include DRUNKEN SOLDIER, a documentary about the band The Tiger Lillies, who provided soundtrack music for THE QUICKIE.
In addition to writing screenplays for his own films, Bodrov has written or co-written more than twenty films for directors in Russia, the United States, France and Germany. Among them are EAST-WEST, which was directed by Regis Wargneir and nominated for the 2000 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film; Gulshat Omarovas award-winning directorial debut SHIZA.
Bodrov has shared his expertise in filmmaking with college students for over 15 years. He taught at the Moscow State Film School from 1991-1992, and has been a guest professor at UCLA, the University of New Orleans, East Hampton College and the University of Hamburg.
Bodrov has lived and worked for the past five years in Kazakhstan.
