Aleksei Fedorchenko

Alexei Fedorchenko’s career path can be described as anything but traditional. After graduating in 1988 from the Ural Polytechnical Institute with a degree in economics, Fedorchenko spent two years working in a factory. Eventually, he moved to the documentary facility of Sverdlovsk Studios, which at the time was undergoing a financial crisis. After some time the studio got back on its feet, only to have Fedorchenko move to the Screenwriting department of the Russian Institute of Cinematography. Fedorchenko subsequently spent several years working on documentaries, until he switched gears and made the film First on the Moon. The project was attractive for Fedorchenko because it allowed him to experiment with 1930’s. First on the Moon, released in 2005, has since garnered international praise along with several awards and nominations. —Seagull Films