Director/star/producer of Wearied by the Sun, which won the Grand Prix du Jury at 1994 Cannes Film Festival
For me Moscow is more than a city. It's like a human being with a very special soul.
Moscow expanded like circles in the water. The construction was made without plan. The spirit of good-will and quiet independence prevailed.
Moscow is protected by some mystical divine power. Several times in its history the city has been burned down: from the hordes of the Tartars to the 1812 invasion of Napoleon's army. But, like Phoenix, the city survived, each time growing stronger and more beautiful. In 1914 the Nazi army was only 28km from Moscow, and it was less than an hour drive for their tanks to reach the Kremlin. Yet some mysterious force stopped and then defeated them. Moscow has some protective aura...
This spirit provides strong support for our famous cultural traditions in ballet, opera, theatre and, of course, cinema. No wonder that Moscow has become a cultural capital, where Mosfilm operates as the largest production studios in Europe.
