Alexei Popogrebsky

Alexei Popogrebsky, the son of screenwriter Pyotr Popogrebsky, was born August 7, 1972 in Moscow. Alexei graduated from Moscow State University with a degree in psychology. In 1994 he teamed up with his friend Boris Khlebnikov, a film theory student at All-Russian State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK). After a few short films, they co-directed their debut feature, Roads to Koktebel. The film received a number of international awards including the FIPRESCI Discovery of the Year at the Cannes Film Festival. Popogrebsky's second feature film, Simple Things, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2007, and cemented Popogrebsky's status as one of Russia's most promising new directors. Popogrebsky's third feature, How I Ended This Summer, an explosive drama set on an island in the arctic circle, took home Silver Bears for best cinematography and best actor at The Berlin int’l Film Festival.