Alla Surikova, director. Biography

Alla Surikova — early years, the beginning of her career

Alla Surikova was born in 1940 in Kiev. Her father worked as an engineer for Kiev television, and her mother was an optometrist. Her uncle Yakov Zaslavsky, an actor of the Odessa Theater, had a significant influence on the future director. It was he who instilled in his niece a love of art and inspired her to pursue a career in cinema. Little Alla went to all his plays, and knew some of the roles by heart.

After school, Surikova, on the advice of her parents, tried to enroll in the Kiev Institute of Light Industry, but could not overcome the entrance tests. For a year she worked as an assembly fitter at an aircraft factory, after which she became a student at the Faculty of Philology at Kiev University. She studied Russian language and literature, while simultaneously studying mathematical linguistics.

After graduating from university in 1965, Surikova got a job on Ukrainian television. Subsequently, she became an assistant director at the Dovzhenko Film Studio. In particular, she participated in the filming of the film "The Little School Orchestra" (1968) and "Do you know how to Live?" (1970) by Alexander Muratov.

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Realizing the need for professional cinematic education, Surikova continued her studies. In 1973, she graduated from the Higher Courses of Screenwriters and Directors in Moscow. Her mentors were Georgy Danelia, Alexander Alov and Vladimir Naumov. The thesis "A Liar, or A Little Lie and Big Trouble" was highly appreciated by the teachers and was awarded the prize for best director at the Molodost festival.

During this period, Surikova became the founder of one of the most famous children's TV shows. In 1972, she proposed creating a humorous newsreel for young viewers by analogy with the adult Wick. The idea was supported by the leadership of the USSR State Committee, which led to the creation of the legendary "Yeralash". Surikova not only developed the concept of the project, but also shot several plots for it, including "Well, who draws like that?!" and "You're all lying!".

Alla Surikova — career in cinema, the best films

In 1979, Surikova's first feature film, The Vanity of Vanities, was released. The comedy about the family vicissitudes of an elderly couple, performed by Galina Polsky and Frunzik Mkrtchyan, was enthusiastically received by the audience — more than 30 million people watched it in cinemas. Surikova's high-profile debut brought her fame as a talented comedy director and opened the way to new projects.

The director's next film, "Be My Husband," was released in 1981. One of the main roles in it was played by Andrey Mironov, who was already an incredibly popular actor at that time. To attract him to work on the film, Surikova had to make significant changes to the script, adding musical numbers and reworking the ending. The filming process was significantly complicated by Mironov's numerous female fans, who sought to get on the set at any cost. Nevertheless, the painting was warmly received by the public.

In 1982, the comedy detective "Looking for a Woman" starring Sofico Chiaureli and Leonid Kuravlev was released. The film, based on the play by the French playwright Robert Thomas, quickly became one of the leaders of the Soviet film distribution and demonstrated Surikova's ability to masterfully handle different genres.

Surikova's real triumph was the film "The Man from Kapuchin Boulevard" (1987). The parody of American westerns with a brilliant cast led by Mironov attracted more than 60 million viewers. The film was recognized not only in the USSR, but also abroad, winning a prize at the International Festival "Women in Cinema" in Los Angeles.

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According to Surikova herself, the script for "The Man from Kaputsinov Boulevard" had been in the Mosfilm archives for six years, none of the male directors wanted to hire it.

"Men were afraid to take it on, and they did the right thing. Only a woman could get involved in such an adventure, because, as Zhvanetsky said, even horses have our faces," the director said in an interview.

In 1989, Surikova directed the highly social tragicomedy "Two Arrows. Detective of the Stone Age" based on the play by Alexander Volodin. And in 1991, the film "Nuts" was released about the construction of a railway from St. Petersburg to Tsarskoye Selo.

After the collapse of the USSR, Alla Surikova continued her active creative activity. In 1995, she directed the romantic comedy "Moscow Holidays" starring an Italian actor and Leonid Yarmolnik. In 1998, the film "I Want to go to prison" starring Vladimir Ilyin was released. In the early 2000s, the director worked on the TV series The Perfect Couple. During this period, she also created several dramatic works, including You Won't Leave Me (2006). In 2010, the long—awaited sequel to the legendary film, The Man from Capuchin Boulevard, was released, but the sequel did not repeat the success of the original.

Alla Surikova — personal life

Alla's first husband was doctor Vadim Surikov. They dated for about three years before getting married. In 1965, the couple had a daughter, Kira, who later became a writer and gave her three grandchildren— Ivan, Nikolai and Artyom. The couple separated when their daughter turned three years old. Surikova later admitted that neither she nor her ex-husband were ready for marriage, but they maintained a good relationship after the breakup.

She met her second husband, sound engineer Evgeny, while working on "Yeralash". They were married for seven years, but eventually broke up.

Surikova found real family happiness with film engineer Alexander Potashnikov. They met at the House of Creativity in Bolshev (modern Russia). Korolev microdistrict, Moscow region) shortly before the filming of "The Man from Kaputsinov Boulevard" began. Potashnikov went with his beloved to Feodosia to support her. He cleaned the room, cooked food, and went to the market every morning to buy fresh cottage cheese for Surikova. After the release of the film, the couple formalized their relationship. Together they founded the studio "Positive-film" and continue to work on new projects.