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Kira Takhirovna Kovalenko (Russian: Кира Тахировна Коваленко, born 12 December 1989) is a Russian film director and screenwriter.

Biography

After school, Kovalenko went to college and graduated in web-design. In 2010-2015 she studied at the Kabardino-Balkarian State University under Alexander Sokurov. Directors Kantemir Balagov, Alexander Zolotukhin and Vladimir Bitokov were her fellow students. During studies, Kovalenko directed several short movies.

After graduation, Kovalenko lived in Abkhazia, then in St Petersburg and Moscow. Her feature-length debut Sofichka (film) [ru] was based on Fazil Iskander's novel of the same name and was released in 2016. The movie was included in the competition program of the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and was awarded at the XV International Debut Film Festival ‘Fire Spirit’ in Khanty-Mansiysk.

Kovalenko's second movie Unclenching the Fists was filmed in North Ossetia in only 25 days. The movie took the main prize at the Cannes Film Festival in Un Certain Regard in 2021 and received a distribution offer by Mubi streaming service.

Kovalenko and fellow dissident filmmaker Kantemir Balagov were chosen as Telluride Film Festival guest directors in September 2022.

In November 2022, Kovalenko announced her new project under a working title 'Children of hope'. The script is co-authored with Russian writer Marina Stepnova, Alexander Rodnyanskiy's studio AR Content will produce the project.

References

1. "12 Disciples of Sokurov: Kira Kovalenko". gorets-media.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-06-28.
2. Anisimova, E. (2018-04-17). "Знакомьтесь, Александр Золотухин – ученик Сокурова заканчивает дебютную картину «Слухач»" [Alexander Zolotukhin – Sokurov’s student finishes his debut film] (in Russian). Sobaka. Retrieved 2022-06-30.
3. Geoffrey Macnab (2021-09-02). "Alexander Rodnyansky on why this is an amazing moment for Russian filmmaking". Screen Daily. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
4. Moskvitin, E. (2019-06-20). "Кантемир Балагов: «Уверен, что мои амбиции меня когда-нибудь погубят»" [Kantemir Balagov: ‘I Feel that my Ambitions will ruin me someday’] (in Russian). Esquire. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
5. "О чем думают молодые режиссеры? «Софичка»: на анкету «Афиши» отвечает режиссер Кира Коваленко" [What Do Young Directors Think About? ‘Sofichka’: Kira Kovalenko Answers Afisha Questionnaire]. Afisha Daily. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
6. "Балагов / Kantemir Balagov's big interview (English subs)". YouTube (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-06-28.
7. "«Пришлось бороться»: Кира Коваленко о своём дебютном фильме и о специфике работы женщины-режиссёра на Кавказе" [‘We Had to Fight’: Kira Kovalenko on Her Debut and Being Female Director in Caucasus] (in Russian). 2017-11-21. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
8. "Птенец гнезда Сокурова". etokavkaz.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-06-28.
9. Архив — Фестиваль Дух Огня
10. Brontwein, Sofia (2021-09-15). "«Разжимая кулаки»: режиссер Кира Коваленко о победе в Каннах, Балагове и Сокурове" ['Unclenching The Fists': Director Kira Kovalenko on Cannes, Balagov and Sokurov]. Forbes (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-04-08.
11. "Kira Kovalenko".
12. "Фильм продюсера Роднянского "Где Анна Франк?" включен в программу Канн" [‘Where Is Ann Frank?’ Produced by Alexander Rodnyansky Included in Cannes program]. Российская газета (in Russian). 10 June 2021. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
13. "Торонто-2021: «Разжимая кулаки» Киры Коваленко покажут на фестивале" [Toronto-2021: 'Unclenching The Fists' by Kira Kovalenko]. KinoReporter (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-07-29.
14. Lodge, Guy (2021-09-02). "'Unclenching the Fists' Review: An Intense, Immersive Coming-of-Age Tale from the North Caucasus". Variety. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
15. "Unclenching The Fists". Toronto Film Festival. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
16. Lattanzio, R. (2021-09-04). "'Unclenching the Fists' Review: A Bold Filmmaking Voice Bursts from a Bleak Russian Coming-of-Ager". IndieWire. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
17. Kohn, Eric (2022-06-14). "Russian Directors Kira Kovalenko and Kantemir Balagov Discuss Fleeing the Country, Call Putin a 'Butcher'". IndieWire. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
18. Mamikonyan, O. (2022-11-10). "Режиссер Кира Коваленко снимет новый фильм под рабочим названием «Дети надежды»" [Kira Kovalenko's new movie is titled 'Children of hope']. Forbes (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-12-30.

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• 1989 births
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• People from Nalchik
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