Dmitry Davydov (filmmaker)

For other uses, see Dmitry Davydov.

In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming conventions, the patronymic is Leonidovich and the family name is Davydov.

Dmitry Leonidovich Davydov (Russian: Дмитрий Леонидович Давыдов, Amga, Sakha Republic, Russia;^[1] was born February 22, 1983) is a Russian film director. His first film, Bonfire, was screened at the 21st Busan International Film Festival, and won an award for best dramatic feature at the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival in Toronto.^[2] It was nominated for the Asia Pacific Screen Awards.^[3] This is the first film produced in the Sakha Republic which won a festival award outside of Russia. On April 29, 2017 he won an award best film director at the national filmfestival named #DVIZHENIE (Omsk city).^[4]

Dmitry Leonidovich Davydov in Brisbane, Australia

Davydov was born in Amga. His mother is Russian, his father is Yakut.^[5] Dmitry first studied at the Pedagogical Gymnasium in Amga, then at the Pedagogical University in Neryungri. He subsequently returned to Amga and took a job as a schoolteacher. He now works in Chapchylgan, Amginsky District, Sakha Republic, as the director of the Filipp Lobanov Chapchylgan School.^[6] He is married and has two children.^[7]

Davydov has no training in cinema, except for attending several master classes in Yakutsk.^[8] His directing career actually began in a Yakutsk school in 2009, where as a teacher he led optional video courses for students.^[9] One day he saw that there was a demand for films in the native ethnic language among the locals in Yakutia and decided to make them. All of his films are shown, including at cinemas and festivals, in the Yakut dialect with Russian subtitles.^[10] He produced the screenplay for Bonfire himself, writing it in Russian; the screenplay was later translated to Sakha.^[2] To produce the film, Davydov had to take a loan. The characters are played by inhabitants of Amga, who by no means are professional actors.^[8] A peculiarity of his directorial style is shooting only in his native region of Yakutia and uniquely short filming periods, for example, for "Pugalo" he spent only 11 filming days. He financed all of his films from his own funds, which he took mostly from loans. His budgets are always incredibly small for the modern film industry. For example, for his popular film "Pugalo" Davydov spent only 1.5 million rubles.^[10]

References

1. "Bonfire". imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
2. Anton, Dolin (27 April 2017). ""Костер на ветру" Дмитрия Давыдова: сенсационный фильм, открывший миру якутский кинематограф" (in Russian). Meduza. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
3. "Nominees & Winners 2016". Asia Pacific Screen Awards. 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
4. April 2017
5. "Дмитрий Давыдов был сельским учителем в Якутии, а потом стал успешным режиссером — его «Пугало» показывают по всей России Мы с ним поговорили". Meduza (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-11-13.
6. "Образование" (in Russian). Government of the Sakha Republic. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
7. "Костер на ветру" (in Russian). hotu.su. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
8. Abikeyeva, Gulnara (8 January 2017). "Bonfire, or Why Yakut Cinema is on the Rise". Kinokultura. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
9. "Как сельский учитель Дмитрий Давыдов за 11 дней снял фильм «Пугало» и стал звездой кинофестивалей". Forbes.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-11-13.
10. "Как сельский учитель Дмитрий Давыдов за 11 дней снял фильм «Пугало» и стал звездой кинофестивалей". Forbes.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-11-13.