The history of cinema has a little more than a hundred years. Specialists came to this field of activity in different ways. One began to write scripts and, in the process, mastered the profession of director. Another was an actor himself and discovered an additional facet of talent. And someone was professionally engaged in photography. And at some point I decided to expand my role. Aleksandr Konstantinovich Kott began his professional career as a photojournalist in a newspaper. The accumulated experience was useful to him in the film industry. Today he is a famous director.
Difficult childhood
The galaxy of Russian filmmakers grew and raised on the soil cultivated by their predecessors. As often happens in life, some absorbed the experience of their ancestors, while others completely rejected it. Alexander Kott does not fall into any of these categories. Apparently, the circumstances of his personal life, the situation in the family and his inner circle oriented him towards independence in his views and opinions. The biography of the cult director says that he was born on February 22, 1973. Ordinary Soviet family. Parents lived in Moscow. My father worked in the construction industry, his mother was a teacher at school.
It is interesting to note that Alexander was born simultaneously with his brother Vladimir. They are twin brothers. Using this feature, brothers in childhood and adolescence often played around. By and large, they grew serious and independent. When the brothers were fourteen years old, mother suddenly died. The father had to make great efforts to bring the children into people. At school, Sasha studied well. He visited the studio of aesthetic education at the theater on Krasnaya Presnya. From an early age gravitated to drawing and after some time became interested in photography.
Having received a certificate of maturity, the young man got a job as a photojournalist at the newspaper’s editorial office. He had to regularly travel on assignments from the editor on business trips. On trips, he learned the details of real life, which was not customary to talk about on newspaper pages. He exhibited his photographs in various galleries and at exhibitions. The photojournalist’s career was not bad, but Alexander decided to expand his creative role and entered the Institute of Culture. In 1994, creative plans changed, and he transferred to VGIK, to receive a special education, and learn from the experience of one of the masters of Russian cinema, Vladimir Khotinenko.
During his studies, Alexander was lucky to take part in a workshop by Andrzej Wajda. To do this, I had to visit the old and mysterious city of Krakow. Many colleagues from the Polish director learn to respect the history of their homeland. A young student from Russia heeded the advice of a famous colleague. Cott skillfully used the acquired knowledge and approaches to discovering the topic in his further work. Already the student works of Alexander attract the attention of specialists with their balance and conciseness.
Affirmation in the profession
Viewers and critics know the precedents when, having shot one successful picture, the director wakes up famous in the morning. Something similar happened in the work of Alexander Kott. Short films, which were shot in the student body, forced fellow workers and teachers to take a closer look at the style of the novice director. The picture "Photographer", 1997 release, was shot without any special claims to recognition. However, the reality was completely different. With this film, director Cott attended various international film festivals almost thirty times.
Yes, a short picture made the cinematic party talk about a young director, but this is clearly not enough for approval in the profession. Alexander Kott made another contribution to the piggy bank of films worthy of discussion in 2001. The full-length film "We drove two drivers" was warmly greeted by the audience. Many viewers, especially representatives of the older generation, recognized Kolka Snegirev in the protagonist of the legendary driver. The one who absurdly died on the legendary Chuysky tract.
Director Cott gradually, without rush and loud announcements, works, as they say, stuffs his hand. The next major project was the disaster film "Convoy PQ-17." Alexander set himself a difficult task. The author of the novel, Valentin Pikul, is well known in Russia. In order for the picture to correspond to the spirit and pathos of the work, special approaches and forms of expression are required. According to critics and viewers, eight episodes of the picture look at one go. The next appeal to classical literature was the series "Pechorin. Hero of our time." The result is convincing.
