Vladimir Motyl
Vladimir Yakovlevich Motyl (; 26 June 1927 – 21 February 2010) was a Soviet and Belarusian film director and screenwriter.

Vladimir Motyl was born in Lepiel, Belarus. His father was a Polish émigré, who was arrested in 1930 and sent to Solovki and died there the following year. Many of his other relatives suffered similar treatment. Vladimir and his mother were exiled to the Northern Urals, where he became fascinated in theatre and cinema, and later graduated from the Sverdlovsk Theatrical Institute. For about 10 years he worked in various theatres in the Urals and Siberia and eventually became chief director of Sverdlovsk Young Spectator's Theatre.

He decided to start afresh in cinema, despite having no technical qualifications. Eventually he directed his first film, Children of Pamirs (1963) (Detyi Pamira/Дети Памира) in Tajikistan. This work was met with public success, as well as earning him the State Prize of Tajik SSR (1964), and the title of honorary citizen of Dushanbe (1977).

His next film Zhenya, Zhenechka and Katyusha (1967) (Женя, Женечка и "Катюша"), a romantic comedy/drama set in 1944, was warmly accepted by the public as well, but earned the displeasure of the Soviet agitprop for "disrespectful" treatment of the second world war theme, and the director fell into disfavor.

Nevertheless, he was invited to direct a film which was to become one of the most popular Soviet cult films, the "Red Western" (or technically, "Ostern") White Sun of the Desert. Notably, this film has a strong theme about exile, as its protagonist, Sukhov finds himself waylaid in Central Asia when trying to return home.

For his work, Motyl received numerous awards.

Filmography
1963: Children of Pamirs (Дети Памира), film director
1967: Zhenya, Zhenechka and Katyusha (Женя, Женечка и Катюша), playwright,  film director
1969: White Sun of the Desert (Белое солнце пустыни),  film director
1975: The Captivating Star of Happiness (Звезда пленительного счастья) (the title is a line from a verse by Pushkin), playwright,  film director
1980: Forest (Лес), playwright,  film director
1984: Unbelievable Bet (Невероятное пари),  film director
1987: My Best Respects (Честь имею), playwright
1991: Let's Part while we're alright (Расстанемся, пока хорошие), playwright,  film director
1993:  Okhlamon (Охламон), playwright, play director
1996:  Nesut menya koni (Несут меня кони), playwright, film director, music for the songs
2009: Crimson Colour of the Snowfall (Багровый цвет снегопада), playwright, film director, music for the songs

Awards
1996:Order of Honour for the film White Sun of the Desert
1998: State Prize of the Russian Federation category Literature and Arts for year 1997, for the film White Sun of the Desert
2003: Honorary title of People's Artist of Russian Federation

Death
On 5 February 2010, Vladimir Motyl was at home alone when he felt ill. On the same day he was hospitalized in the city clinical hospital No. 67. Initially, he was suspected of a stroke, but in the hospital doctors found a fracture of the cervical vertebrae and pneumonia.

On 21 February 2010 at approximately 11 pm Vladimir Motyl died at the age of 83.

References

External links

1927 births
2010 deaths
People from Lyepyel
Belarusian Jews
Russian people of Belarusian descent
Russian Jews
Soviet Jews
Belarusian film directors
Soviet film directors
Academic staff of High Courses for Scriptwriters and Film Directors
Belarusian people of Polish descent
People's Artists of Russia
Recipients of the Order of Honour (Russia)
Ural State University alumni