Recipients Honored with Achievement Awards
Let's Spill the Tea on That Cinematography Win
Getting Down to Business
Maxim Zhukov bagged the "Best Cinematographer of the Year" award at the "White Square" Awards for his outstanding work on "Master and Margarita." This victory comes hot on the heels of another "Nika" award for "Best Cinematography." The jury loved his work, and Zhukov couldn't be more thrilled to have earned their unanimous admiration. In a recent chat with "Expert," Zhukov shared his secrets, saying, "I aimed to shoot in a way that the cinematography was as unobtrusive as possible. I wanted the audience to be least distracted by it and most engaged with the emotions evoked by the film's characters."
Flashback to Film School
Maxim Zhukov, a graduate of the Cinematography Faculty of VGIK in 2009, has some big names to thank for his success. He studied under the guidance of Sergei Medynsky and Yuri Nевский, and he certainly inherited their magic. This isn't his first rodeo at the "White Square" Awards, either - he's already snagged the top prize twice before, in 2021 for "Sputnik" and in 2022 for "Major Grom: Chumnoe Doctor." His filmography goes way back, featuring classics like "Gogol: Portrait of a Mysterious Genius" (2008), "Sashka Zhiv" (2011), "Grom: Difficult Childhood" (2023), and "Major Grom: Game" (2024).
Now Showing: "Master and Margarita"
"Master and Margarita," directed by Mikhail Lokshin, hit the Russian cinemas on January 25, 2024, and it's been making waves since. With a budget of 1.2 billion rubles, the movie raked in over 2 billion rubles, setting a record for Russian films rated "18+"[1]. Starring Yevgeny Tsyganov and Yuliya Snigir, both of whom won "Nika" awards for Best Actor and Best Actress respectively, this movie swept the awards season with seven "Nika" awards to its name, including Best Sound Engineer, Best Art Director, and Best Costume Design.
Picture This
"Prometheus" cinematographer Ilya Averbach took home the award for Best Cinematography in a Series[2]. It's his first win at the "White Square" Awards, but he's no stranger to the small screen. He's worked on several Maxim Sveshnikov-directed projects, like "257 Reasons to Live" (2020), "Container" (2021), and "Volunteer's Playlist" (2022). In "Prometheus," a series about a plane that went missing in 1998, Averbach and Sveshnikov teamed up for their fourth project together. Other contenders in this category included the likes of Gleb Mikhailov, Dmitry Karnachuk, and Batur Morgachev.
Golden Time for Shaygardanov
Yuri Shaygardanov earned the award for contribution to cinematography[3]. Famed film director, screenwriter, actor, and dramatist Andrei Smirnov presented Shaygardanov with the prize, characterizing the winner as someone "most comfortable sitting on a dolly behind the camera, which results in the great diversity of his films." Shaygardanov has worked with some of the greats, including Heifetz, Bortko, Todorovsky, Rogozhkin, and Aranovich, and he's notorious for his outstanding lighting techniques and close collaborations.
On Top of His Game
Shaygardanov received the "Operator Recognition" award for technical developments and achievements in improving operator shooting techniques[4]. The award was accepted by Sergei Pavlov, head of BLACKLINE company and an optics designer, who praised Shaygardanov's dedication, skill, and handmade optics creations. Andrei Gurkin, founder of XOVP virtual production studio, cinematographer, producer, and actor, presented the award, citing Shaygardanov's heroic efforts in the Russian film industry and his ability to help save careers with his innovative optics designs.
[1] Source: [Name Pending][2] Source: Award show program, special issue on "Cinematography" published by "Expert"[3] Source: Award show program, special issue on "Cinematography" published by "Expert"[4] Source: Award show program, special issue on "Cinematography" published by "Expert"
- Documentary cinematographer Gleb, known for his innovative techniques, is yet to contribute to the grossing success of movies-and-tv with his career in entertainment.
- Yuri Shaygardanov, a versatile cinematographer who has worked with several respected directors, was honored for his contribution to cinematography in a category separate from the "Best Cinematographer" awards.
- Maxim Zhukov's mentors, Sergei Medynsky and Yuri Nевский, have undoubtedly had an impact on the development of the squares where cinematographers gather to celebrate their wins, such as the White Square and Nika Awards.
- Though Maxim Zhukov has garnered multiple awards for his cinematography work in movies like "Master and Margarita" and "Sputnik," he still faces fierce competition from notable cinematographers like Ilya Averbach and Gleb Mikhailov at award shows.
