Aleksandr Sokurov was born on June 4, 1951, in Siberia. He is a Russian director and screenwriter, based in St. Petersburg, considered one of Andréi Tarkovsky’s successors. He graduated in History at the University of Nizhni Novgorod, in 1974, and started working at the Gerassimov Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) the following year. Aleksandr Sokurov's first films were censored by the Soviet authorities. Mother and Son (1996) was his first film to be awarded at the 20th Moscow International Film Festival with the Silver Saint George. Sokurov has already won several awards at festivals in Berlin, Cannes, Moscow, Toronto, and Locarno. He won the Golden Lion for his film Faust (2011) at the 68th edition of Venice International Film Festival.