A professional, transformative and international
experience in the heart of Bologna
A professional, transformative and international experience in the heart of Bologna
Andrey Zvyagintsev Masterclass in Film Directing
Andrey Zvyagintsev, the acclaimed Russian filmmaker, was born on February 6, 1964, in Novosibirsk, Siberia. Among this century’s most decorated and internationally admired auteurs, Andrey Zvyagintsev has staked out an impressive place for himself with a succession of formally rigorous, morally complex films that hold up a mirror to the stark, sometimes unsavory realities of modern society.
He studied acting at the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts in Moscow and began his career as an actor. He made his feature directorial debut in 2003 with The Return, which was an out-of-the-gate masterpiece, an enigmatic tale of father-son estrangement which won the Golden Lion and Best First Film awards at Venice and was nominated for the Best Foreign Film Golden Globe. It captured the attention all over the world becoming one of the cinema sensations of the year.
Zvyagintsev is called a phenomenon and bearer of the legacy of Andrei Tarkovsky.
His film The Banishment was nominated for the Palme d’Or and won the Best Actor award at Cannes while 2011’s Elena then won the Special Jury Prize at the festival. Leviathan won the Best Screenplay Award at Cannes, the Best Foreign Film Golden Globe and was nominated for the Best Foreign Film Oscar, while Loveless won the Jury Prize at Cannes. The film was released in all major territories earning nominations for all acclaimed cinematic awards worldwide including The Golden Globe Awards and BAFTA. It was awarded Best Foreign Film at France’s César Awards, for the first time in history of both Soviet and Russian cinema.
He is one of the most prominent directors abroad and a not-so-beloved figure in Russia, well known for his powerful and thought-provoking films, for his distinctive visual style, complex characters, and deep exploration of human nature, social issues, and the complexities of contemporary Russian society.
Zvyagintsev revealed himself to be a master allegorist and social critic, whose austere, meticulously crafted family dramas lay bare the political and ethical corruption taken root in his country. The authorities, once champions of his work, now cry foul at Zvyagintsev’s increasingly pointed, polemical films (“slanderous,” in their estimation), publicly disowning Leviathan and forcing Loveless, his latest, to be made outside the system (both features were, ironically, Russia’s official submissions to the Oscar’s Best Foreign Language Film competition – and both ultimately received Oscar nominations). A celebrated artist who traffics in the intimate and the ineffable, the political and the transcendental, Zvyagintsev is responsible for one of contemporary cinema’s most enviable and accomplished oeuvres.
His soundtracks are often represented by the unmistakable and sumptuous music of Philip Glass.
In 2018, Andrey Zvyagintsev served on the Cannes Film Festival jury and is a current member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the European Film Academy.
For our 11th edition, we are hosting 28 international talents:
- Seven emerging directors selected by the world’s Film Institutes, Film Commission and Film Schools all over the world, who come as representatives of their country
- Seven emerging directors of photography
- Seven assistant directors
- Seven production assistants
The selected group of film talents have the opportunity to learn from the vision and personal approach to cinema of the IFA Master Teacher. Every year, we invite the best film auteurs of our time.
During the past ten editions, we hosted Bernardo Bertolucci, Abbas Kiarostami, Béla Tarr, Cristian Mungiu, Jane Campion, John Landis and Ruben Östlund, who is now our Honorary President.
Emerging
Directors
7
Emerging
DOP
7
Assistant
Directors
7
Production
Assistants
7
We offer the opportunity to
- Write and produce a short film in Bologna
- Get in touch with new visions and experience a deeper approach to cinema, under the direction of the Master Teacher, who mentors the IFA Participants through the whole filmmaking process, from the script to the final product
- Work closely and have a daily one-to-one experience with the Master Teacher
- Create a network and a deep and lasting relationship with fellow talents based worldwide
- Experience an intercultural exchange and live the masterclass through the point of view of different cultures
- Screening of each short film at the Theater and get the Master Teacher’s feedback
- A full-immersive Italian experience in the wonderful frame of Bologna in the summertime
- Welcome and closing dinner with the IFA Master Teacher
- Accreditation for Il Cinema Ritrovato festival, with access to 500 movies screened in 9 days
The program is in English and tentatively will take place in Bologna from June 24th to July 7th 2025.
Final Schedule will be announced soon.
Tuition Fee
The tuition fee on the participant of 5.000 euros includes:
- Online supervision during the screenwriting process
- Participation to the Masterclass in Film Directing, under the guidance of one the world’s most influential film directors
- Participation to Il Cinema Ritrovato Film Festival
- Two weeks of accommodation (food and travel expenses are not covered)
Application for Masterclass 2024 Andrey Zvyaginstev has been closed.
APPLICATION FOR MASTERCLASS 2025 : Opening Soon!
How it is structured
JUNE: SCRIPTWRITING
The seven selected directors are asked to write a script under the guidance of the Master Teacher. They have the opportunity to ask for the Master Director’s online supervision before their arrival in Bologna.
The participants have access to the local actors’ book and the locations’ book, in order to make their creative choices match the beautiful setting of Bologna.
JUNE 24TH – JULY 7TH: THE IFA MASTERCLASS
SHOOTING, EDITING, SCREENING
1st WEEK: The IFA Master Teacher shares his/her experience, aesthetic and approach and dives deep into his/her cinematographic practice. All the participants are involved, and each talent will have the opportunity to nurture their own authorial and professional vision.
The Master Teacher will support the Directors and Assistant Directors on their screenplay, pitches, photographic direction and direction of actors.
2nd WEEK: shooting and editing of 7 short films in various locations around Bologna. The international crew is supported by the local IFA Production. The short films are publicly screened at the Cinema Lumière in Bologna.
