Larisa Shepitko

In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Yefimovna and the family name is Shepitko.

Larysa Shepitko
Born(1938-01-06)6 January 1938
Artemovsk, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Died2 July 1979(1979-07-02) (aged 41)
Kalinin Oblast, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Resting placeKuntsevo Cemetery, Moscow, Russia
Occupations
  • Film director
  • screenwriter
Years active1956–1979
Spouse
​
(m. 1963)​
Children1

Larisa Yefimovna Shepitko (Russian: Лари́са Ефи́мовна Шепи́тько, Ukrainian: Лариса Юхимівна Шепітько, romanized: Larysa Yukhymivna Shepitko; 6 January 1938 – 2 July 1979)[1] was a Soviet film director and screenwriter of Ukrainian origin.[2] She is considered one of the best female directors of all time,[3] with her film The Ascent being the second film directed by a woman to win a Golden Bear[4][5] and the third film directed by a woman to win a top award at a major European film festival (Cannes, Venice, Berlin).[6][7][8]

Shepitko was also considered one of the most prominent Soviet filmmakers during both the Khrushchev Thaw and the Era of Stagnation. The Khrushchev Thaw was a direct response to the limitations that were forced upon Soviet citizens during Stalin's reign, and essentially marked the inception of an innovative return to the cinematic arts.[9][10] Shepitko's career was cut short in 1979 when she was killed in a car accident while scouting locations for the film Farewell. Her husband Elem Klimov created a 20-minute tribute documentary called Larisa to honor her legacy.

  1. ^ Schneider, Steven Jay (2007). 501 Movie Directors. Barrons Educational Series. p. 406. ISBN 978-0-7641-6022-6.
  2. ^ Peter Rollberg (2016). Historical Dictionary of Russian and Soviet Cinema. US: Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 667–668. ISBN 978-1442268425.
  3. ^ Ivan-Zadeh, Larushka (10 January 2005). "The lady vanishes". the Guardian. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  4. ^ "27th Berlin International Film Festival". www.berlinale.de. Archived from the original on 11 January 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Which directors have won at the Berlin film festival?". the Guardian. 6 February 2015. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  6. ^ LLC, New York Media (13 July 1992). New York Magazine. New York Media, LLC.
  7. ^ "Берлінський міжнародний кінофестиваль " Берлінале "". calendate.com.ua. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  8. ^ "Лариса Шепітько — біографія, факти з життя". calendate.com.ua. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  9. ^ Salys, Rimgaila (2013). The Russian Cinema Reader : Volume II, the Thaw to the Presen. Boston: MA: Academic Studies Press. pp. 14–15.
  10. ^ Oukaderova, Lida (2015). The Cinema of the Soviet Thaw : Space, Materiality, Movement. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. p. 2.