Andrei Konchalovsky, elder brother of Nikita Mikhalkov, was born on August 20, 1937. As a young man, he initially planned to pursue a career in music, learning to play the piano, but his passion for cinema eventually outweighed this ambition.
Konchalovsky enrolled at VGIK, the major state film school, where he studied under the guidance of Mikhail Romm. During his time at VGIK, he befriended Andrei Tarkovsky, with whom he collaborated on several projects, including Ivan's Childhood (1962) and Andrei Rublev (1966).
For his feature debut, The First Teacher (1965),Konchalovsky chose a book by Chingiz Aitmatov about the post-1917 Revolution period in southern Russia. His next film, Istoriya Asi Klyachinoy, kotoraya lyubila, da ne vyshla zamuzh (1966),although completed in 1966, was not released until a decade later due to its failure to meet the strict requirements of the Russian censorship of the time.
A Nest of Gentry (1969),a study of the 19th-century aristocracy, was praised for its visual beauty but criticized by critics for being mannered. Konchalovsky's powerful Uncle Vanya (1970),an adaptation of Anton Chekhov's play, is widely regarded as one of the best films in the Russian language.
Siberiade (1979),a dramatic and realistic story of the lives of people in Siberia, received international acclaim and brought Konchalovsky to the attention of American and European producers. Following this, his career expanded to an international scope, with films such as Maria's Lovers (1984),Runaway Train (1985),Duet for One (1986),and Homer and Eddie (1989).
Konchalovsky also directed plays and operas in various European cities before returning to Russia in the early 1990s to direct several theatre productions, including "The Seagull" by Chekhov and "Miss Julie" by August Strindberg.
In recent years, Konchalovsky has continued to work in film and television, directing productions such as The Odyssey (1997),The Lion in Winter (2003),and House of Fools (2002),a Russian-French co-production that received critical acclaim in Europe and won an honor at the 2002 Venice Film Festival.
Konchalovsky's most recent feature film, The Postman's White Nights (2014),shot digitally in his home country Russia, won the 'Best Director' award at the 2014 Venice International Film Festival.
