Valery Todorovsky

Valery Petrovich Todorovsky (Russian: Вале́рий Петро́вич Тодоро́вский; Ukranian: Валерій Петрович Тодоровський; born 9 May 1962; Odessa) is a Russian film director, screenwriter, producer whose best known film is "Hipsters" (2008). He is the son of filmmaker Pyotr Todorovsky (1925-2013) and the father of the filmmaker Pyotr Todorovsky Jr. (1986). Of his earlier films, The Hearse (Katafalk) won the Grand Prix at Mannheim (1990) and Love (Lyubov) received Ecumenical Prize at Cannes (1992), and won awards at Sozvezdie, Chicago, Geneva and Montpellier Film Festivals. Todorovsky made a name for himself with the crime melodrama set in Moscow, The Country of Deaf (Strana Glukhikh), scripted by actress-director-scriptwriter Renata Litvinova based on her own novella To Have and to Belong. The film was entered into the 48th Berlin International Film Festival in 1998. In 1999 he was a member of the jury at the 21st Moscow International Film Festival. His 2008 musical film Hipsters won the Golden Eagle Award and Nika Award for Best Film. Valery Todorovsky also co-produced the Russian gangster TV series Brigada (2002) (which eventually received a cult popularity) and the 2005 TV adaptation of the Master and Margarita for Telekanal Rossiya. In 2013, Russian TV main channel "Channel 1" showed a serial The Thaw. It was Valeriy's debut on TV as a director. The ratings proved the serial was received with a great success. The serial is a melodrama about life in the Soviet Union during ...

Katya Ismailova (1994)

A wife finds her life transformed after a torrid affair in this story of murder. Katia is a rather dull young woman who types manuscripts for Irina, her husband’s mother and successful writer of romance novels. Katia’s husband is a real momma’s boy. They go to ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Valery Todorovsky
CAST:  Ingeborga Dapkūnaitė  •  Vladimir Mashkov  •  Aleksandr Feklistov  •  Alisa Freyndlikh

A wife finds her life transformed after a torrid affair in this story of murder. Katia is a rather dull young woman who types manuscripts for Irina, her husband’s mother and successful writer of romance novels. Katia’s husband is a real momma’s boy. They go to ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Valery Todorovsky
CAST:  Ingeborga Dapkūnaitė  •  Vladimir Mashkov  •  Aleksandr Feklistov  •  Alisa Freyndlikh

Country of the Deaf (1998)

Strana Glukhikh is about an unusual relationship between two women, one of them a deaf-mute dancer and the other on the run from the mafia. Yaya, the deaf girl, offers to hide Rita whose boyfriend, Alyosha owes gambling debts to the mafia, but in return she wants ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Valery Todorovsky
CAST:  Chulpan Khamatova  •  Dina Korzun  •  Maksim Sukhanov  •  Nikita Tyunin

Strana Glukhikh is about an unusual relationship between two women, one of them a deaf-mute dancer and the other on the run from the mafia. Yaya, the deaf girl, offers to hide Rita whose boyfriend, Alyosha owes gambling debts to the mafia, but in return she wants ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Valery Todorovsky
CAST:  Chulpan Khamatova  •  Dina Korzun  •  Maksim Sukhanov  •  Nikita Tyunin

My Step Brother Frankenstein (2004)

One day Pavel, a young man wounded in the war, suddenly shows up at the home of a Moscow scientist name Krymov and claims to be his illegitimate son. Krymov denies this, but out of compassion he helps arrange a necessary operation for Pavel. Then certain things ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Valery Todorovsky
CAST:  Sergey Gazarov  •  Vladimir Bogdanov  •  Artem Shalimov  •  Sergey Garmash

One day Pavel, a young man wounded in the war, suddenly shows up at the home of a Moscow scientist name Krymov and claims to be his illegitimate son. Krymov denies this, but out of compassion he helps arrange a necessary operation for Pavel. Then certain things ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Valery Todorovsky
CAST:  Sergey Gazarov  •  Vladimir Bogdanov  •  Artem Shalimov  •  Sergey Garmash

The Lover (2002)

This is a remarkably subtle film–a character study that focuses on Mitya’s attempts to cope with each new startling phase of discovery. At first he mourns for his dead wife, but then he discovers that he didn’t really know her.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Valery Todorovsky
CAST:  Oleg Yankovskiy  •  Sergey Garmash  •  Vera Voronkova  •  Valeriy Prokhorov

This is a remarkably subtle film–a character study that focuses on Mitya’s attempts to cope with each new startling phase of discovery. At first he mourns for his dead wife, but then he discovers that he didn’t really know her.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Valery Todorovsky
CAST:  Oleg Yankovskiy  •  Sergey Garmash  •  Vera Voronkova  •  Valeriy Prokhorov

Hipsters (2008)

In this hit Russian musical, a group of friends flaunts Soviet authority in 1950s Moscow by embracing jazz. When Communist Mels falls for Polly, a free-spirited jazz fan, he risks losing his party membership by associating with her rebellious crew.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Valery Todorovsky
CAST:  Anton Shagin  •  Oksana Akinshina  •  Maksim Matveev  •  Igor Voynarovskiy

In this hit Russian musical, a group of friends flaunts Soviet authority in 1950s Moscow by embracing jazz. When Communist Mels falls for Polly, a free-spirited jazz fan, he risks losing his party membership by associating with her rebellious crew.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Valery Todorovsky
CAST:  Anton Shagin  •  Oksana Akinshina  •  Maksim Matveev  •  Igor Voynarovskiy

PG 16... (2010)

Kir, Leya, Dasha and Max are student. Almost every experience is for a first time to them - first love, first disappointment, first betrayal...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Andrey Kavun
CAST:  Lyanka Gryu  •  Anna Starshenbaum  •  Pavel Priluchnyy  •  Dmitriy Kubasov

Kir, Leya, Dasha and Max are student. Almost every experience is for a first time to them - first love, first disappointment, first betrayal...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Andrey Kavun
CAST:  Lyanka Gryu  •  Anna Starshenbaum  •  Pavel Priluchnyy  •  Dmitriy Kubasov

Vice (2007)

The film follows Denis, a young aspiring DJ who, although poor, has everything else in his favor: a calling in life as a musician, good friends and a faithful companion. Denis's fall from grace begins with a drug deal, which he agrees to out of the need for money. ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Valery Todorovsky
CAST:  Fyodor Bondarchuk  •  Maksim Matveev  •  Aleksey Serebryakov  •  Ekaterina Vilkova

The film follows Denis, a young aspiring DJ who, although poor, has everything else in his favor: a calling in life as a musician, good friends and a faithful companion. Denis's fall from grace begins with a drug deal, which he agrees to out of the need for money. ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Valery Todorovsky
CAST:  Fyodor Bondarchuk  •  Maksim Matveev  •  Aleksey Serebryakov  •  Ekaterina Vilkova

The Bolshoi (2016)

Young and extremely talented dancer Yulya Olshanskaya from a small mining town draws a “happy ticket”: she is noticed by a former ballet dancer Pototsky and he promises her a future of great ballerina, worthy of the main stage of the country. However, in order to ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Valery Todorovsky
CAST:  Alisa Freyndlikh  •  Valentina Telichkina  •  Alexandr Domogarov  •  Nicolas Le Riche

Young and extremely talented dancer Yulya Olshanskaya from a small mining town draws a “happy ticket”: she is noticed by a former ballet dancer Pototsky and he promises her a future of great ballerina, worthy of the main stage of the country. However, in order to ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Valery Todorovsky
CAST:  Alisa Freyndlikh  •  Valentina Telichkina  •  Alexandr Domogarov  •  Nicolas Le Riche

Into_nation of Big Odessa (2018)

In the world, there is a city-port Odessa, which was specially created as a refuge for people of different nationalities and religions. Humor is a special language that helps people from Odessa to communicate and get along with each other. Legends are spreading ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Alexander Brunkovsky
CAST:  Mikhail Zhvanetsky  •  Roman Kartsev  •  Mikhail Levitin  •  Leonid Barats

In the world, there is a city-port Odessa, which was specially created as a refuge for people of different nationalities and religions. Humor is a special language that helps people from Odessa to communicate and get along with each other. Legends are spreading ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Alexander Brunkovsky
CAST:  Mikhail Zhvanetsky  •  Roman Kartsev  •  Mikhail Levitin  •  Leonid Barats

Odessa (2019)

Odessa, August 1970. A heat wave. The city is full of tourists. Boris, a journalist and foreign affairs specialist, and his eight-year-old son Valeri arrive from Moscow to visit Boris’ in-laws, Grigori Iosifovich and Raisa Irovna Davidov. But on the day of their ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Valery Todorovsky
CAST:  Irina Rozanova  •  Yevgeni Tsyganov  •  Leonid Yarmolnik  •  Kseniya Rappoport

Odessa, August 1970. A heat wave. The city is full of tourists. Boris, a journalist and foreign affairs specialist, and his eight-year-old son Valeri arrive from Moscow to visit Boris’ in-laws, Grigori Iosifovich and Raisa Irovna Davidov. But on the day of their ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Valery Todorovsky
CAST:  Irina Rozanova  •  Yevgeni Tsyganov  •  Leonid Yarmolnik  •  Kseniya Rappoport

Katafalk (1990)

What you won't do for the happiness of your only daughter! Successfully get rid of the "beloved child" and not go broke at the same time - that's the only dream of a punchy mother. An old car - once a chic symbol of well-being - will be given as a dowry to the ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Valery Todorovsky
CAST:  Vija Artmane  •  Irina Rozanova  •  Andrey Ilin  •  Alika Smekhova

What you won't do for the happiness of your only daughter! Successfully get rid of the "beloved child" and not go broke at the same time - that's the only dream of a punchy mother. An old car - once a chic symbol of well-being - will be given as a dowry to the ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Valery Todorovsky
CAST:  Vija Artmane  •  Irina Rozanova  •  Andrey Ilin  •  Alika Smekhova

Love (1991)

Two Moscow students are mostly concerned with scoring with women but their lives change radically when one of them falls for a Jewish girl whose family is being persecuted by anonymous anti-Semites and is preparing to emigrate to Israel.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Valery Todorovsky
CAST:  Evgeny Mironov  •  Natalya Petrova  •  Dmitriy Maryanov  •  Tatyana Skorokhodova

Two Moscow students are mostly concerned with scoring with women but their lives change radically when one of them falls for a Jewish girl whose family is being persecuted by anonymous anti-Semites and is preparing to emigrate to Israel.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Valery Todorovsky
CAST:  Evgeny Mironov  •  Natalya Petrova  •  Dmitriy Maryanov  •  Tatyana Skorokhodova

A Strange Woman (1978)

Irina Kupchenko stars in this psychological drama by the renowned director/writer team of Yuli Raizman and Yevgeny Gabrilovich. In the story, she is the entirely respectable wife of a career diplomat, with a teenaged son. Suddenly one day, she decides to leave her ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Yuli Raizman
CAST:  Irina Kupchenko  •  Vasili Lanovoy  •  Oleg Vavilov  •  Antonina Bogdanova

Irina Kupchenko stars in this psychological drama by the renowned director/writer team of Yuli Raizman and Yevgeny Gabrilovich. In the story, she is the entirely respectable wife of a career diplomat, with a teenaged son. Suddenly one day, she decides to leave her ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Yuli Raizman
CAST:  Irina Kupchenko  •  Vasili Lanovoy  •  Oleg Vavilov  •  Antonina Bogdanova

Hypnosis (2020)

Teenage boy Misha attends hypnosis sessions with psychotherapist Volkov to recover from sleepwalking. As a result, Misha falls under the influence of a hypnologist to such an extent that he ceases to understand where reality is and where illusion is. After the ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Valery Todorovsky
CAST:  Maksim Sukhanov  •  Sergey Giro  •  Yekaterina Fedulova  •  Sergey Medvedev

Teenage boy Misha attends hypnosis sessions with psychotherapist Volkov to recover from sleepwalking. As a result, Misha falls under the influence of a hypnologist to such an extent that he ceases to understand where reality is and where illusion is. After the ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Valery Todorovsky
CAST:  Maksim Sukhanov  •  Sergey Giro  •  Yekaterina Fedulova  •  Sergey Medvedev