Kantemir Balagov

1991 (34 года)

Kantemir was born in Nalchik, Russia, in a family, unrelated to cinematography. Since childhood, Kantemir watched a lot of mainstream movies, and at the age of 18 began to create his own small videos. Then, together with friends in Nalchik, he shot an Internet series with episodes of 10 minutes each. He didn't originally plan to pursue a career of a filmmaker, but decided to apply for the cinema workshop, led by Alexander Sokurov at the Kabardino-Balkarian University. During his studies he made several fiction and documentary films. Some of Balagov’s short films were shown at the 67th Locarno Film Festival. In 2017, he made his debut as a director with the feature film Closeness in the program Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival, where he received the prize FIPRESCI. In 2019, Balagov received the Cannes Best Director Award and FIPRESCI prize for the film Beanpole, which was presented in the program Un Certain Regard.

Фильмы

Beanpole

Kantemir Balagov

Viktoriya Miroshnichenko, Vasilisa Perelygina

Set in post-WWII Leningrad as two female soldiers return from war and attempt to rebuild their lives in the ravaged city.

Beanpole

7.2 2019

Россия, драма

Closeness

Kantemir Balagov

Darya Zhovner, Olga Dragunova

1998, Nalchik. A Jewish family is in trouble: the youngest son and his bride do not come home, and in the morning, a ransom note arrives. The ransom is so high that the family is forced not only to sell its small business, but also to seek help from its fellow tribesmen.

Closeness

6.8 ⚠️ 2017

Россия, драма

Butterfly Jam

Kantemir Balagov

Talha Akdogan, Monica Bellucci

Set against the backdrop of New Jersey’s Circassian community, a teenager helps out in his family’s struggling diner specializing in Circassian cuisine. When he’s not working at the restaurant, he’s training to become a professional wrestler. After one of his father’s misguided schemes goes wrong, he is forced to take on board his father’s failings as he finds himself confronted with a violence that will force him to grow up faster than he would like.

Butterfly Jam

5.8 ⚠️ 2026

США

Первый я

Kantemir Balagov

Madina Dokshukina, Musa Kakiev

A story of teenager who's trying to find himself

First I

5.2 ⚠️ 2014

Россия, драма

Andryukha

Kantemir Balagov

Portrait of a young man with a difficult fate. Despite the inherent mental illness, the film's hero earns money for his drinking mother and sister.

Andryukha

4.7 ⚠️ 2015

Россия, документальный

Молодой ещё

Kantemir Balagov

Andrey Chulkov, Alexandr Kladko

The story of Dante, a graduate of the philological faculty who works on the railroad, pins the tracks to the railroad ties with a terrible noise, and then falls in love with a deaf-mute girl.

Still Young

4.2 ⚠️ 2015