Karen Shakhnazarov

{{Short description|Russian filmmaker, producer and screenwriter (born 1952)}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Karen Shakhnazarov

| image = 2019 Karen Shakhnazarov.jpg

| caption = Shakhnazarov in 2019

| native_name = Карен Шахназаров

| birth_name = Karen Georgievich Shakhnazarov

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1952|7|8}}

| birth_place = Krasnodar, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union

| death_date =

| death_place =

| native_name_lang = ru

| othername =

| occupation = Film director, screenwriter

| yearsactive = 1980–present

| title = People's Artist of Russia (2002) File:RusStatePrize.jpg (2023)

| alma_mater = Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography

}}

Karen Georgievich Shakhnazarov ({{langx|ru|Каре́н Гео́ргиевич Шахназа́ров}}; born 8 July 1952) is a Soviet and Russian filmmaker, producer, and screenwriter.{{cite book|title=Historical Dictionary of Russian and Soviet Cinema|author=Peter Rollberg|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|year=2016|place=US|isbn=978-1442268425|pages=660–661}} He became the director general of Mosfilm in 1998.

Biography

Shakhnazarov is the son of a Georgy Shakhnazarov, a politician of Armenian descent, and a Russian housewife, Anna Grigorievna Shakhnazarova.[http://tvkultura.ru/video/show/brand_id/20872/episode_id/156095/ Karen Shakhnazarov on the Life Line] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160206005326/http://tvkultura.ru/video/show/brand_id/20872/episode_id/156095/ |date=6 February 2016 }} talk show by Russia-K, 2010[https://snob.ru/profile/5220 Profile] on the Snob journal (in Russian) Shakhnazarov is one of several living descendants of the famous Melik-Shahnazarian princely family from Nagorno-Karabakh. The Melik-Shahnazarians ruled Nagorno-Karabakh's province of Varanda in medieval and modern times.[http://www.izvestia.ru/person/article40277/ Карен ШАХНАЗАРОВ: «Я не экранизирую свою жизнь»] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090528091918/http://www.izvestia.ru/person/article40277/ |date=28 May 2009 }}

His 1987 film Courier was entered into the 15th Moscow International Film Festival, where it won a Special Prize.{{cite web|url=http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1987 |title=15th Moscow International Film Festival (1987) |access-date=21 February 2013 |work=MIFF |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116194338/http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1987 |archive-date=16 January 2013 }} In 2002 he was a member of the jury at the 24th Moscow International Film Festival.{{cite web|url=http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=2002 |title=24th Moscow International Film Festival (2002) |access-date=30 March 2013 |work=MIFF |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130328141921/http://moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=2002 |archive-date=28 March 2013 }} Since 2005 he has been a member of the Public Chamber of Russia.{{fact|date=August 2024}}

His 2012 film White Tiger was selected as the Russian entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards, but it did not make the final shortlist.{{cite news|url=http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/123918/ |title=Karen Shakhnazarov's "White Tiger"nominated for Oscar |access-date=20 September 2012 |date=20 September 2012 |work=PanArmenian }}

Political and public activity

File:Karen Shakhnazarov and Vladimir Putin 12 June 2013.jpeg

File:Karen Shakhnazarov and Vladimir Zarudnitsky.jpg, 2018]]

In 1998, Shakhnazarov was appointed a member of the board of the State Committee of the Russian Federation for Cinematography.{{cite web |url=http://government.ru/docs/all/29052/ |title=Распоряжение Правительства Российской Федерации от 06.11.1998 г. № 1592-р |trans-title=Order of the Government of the Russian Federation dated 6 November 1998 No. 1592-r |language=ru}}

In April 2000, Shakhnazarov signed a letter supporting the policy of the recently elected Russian President Vladimir Putin in Chechnya.{{Cite news |url=https://www.svoboda.org/a/24201451.html |title=Русская обида (Письмо двадцати одного) |trans-title=Russian Resentment (Letter of Twenty-One) |language=ru |last=Strelyany |first=Anatoly |author-link=:ru:Стреляный, Анатолий Иванович |website=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |date=2000-04-09 |access-date=2018-07-23 |archive-date=2018-07-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180723215418/https://www.svoboda.org/a/24201451.html |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.index.org.ru/glavred/letter21.html |title=Ответ на письмо европейцев российских деятелей культуры |trans-title=Response to a letter from Europeans to Russian cultural figures |language=ru |website=Index |date=2000 |access-date=2018-07-23 |archive-date=2018-11-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181123233451/http://www.index.org.ru/glavred/letter21.html |url-status=live}}

In 2001, Shakhnazarov was appointed a member of the board of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.{{cite web |url=http://government.ru/docs/all/38833/ |title=Распоряжение Правительства Российской Федерации от 03.05.2001 г. № 624-р |trans-title=Order of the Government of the Russian Federation dated 3 May 2001 No. 624-r |language=ru}}

From 2006 to 2011, Shakhnazarov was a member of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation.{{cite web |last=Prokofiev |first=Vyacheslav |url=https://tass.ru/encyclopedia/person/shahnazarov-karen-georgievich |title=Шахназаров Карен Георгиевич |trans-title=Shakhnazarov Karen Georgievich |language=ru |website=tass.ru |publisher=TASS |access-date=2021-11-13 |archive-date=2021-11-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211113005421/https://tass.ru/encyclopedia/person/shahnazarov-karen-georgievich |url-status=live}} He was Deputy Chairman of the Commission for Cultural Development and, since 2008, Chairman of the Commission for Culture.

Since January 2012, Shakhnazarov has been a member of the "People's Headquarters" for the city of Moscow of Russian presidential candidate Vladimir Putin.{{Cite web |url=http://www.putin2012.ru/info/headquarter/regions/83 |title=Список членов «Народного штаба» на сайте putin2012.ru |trans-title=List of members of the “People’s Headquarters” on the website putin2012.ru |language=ru |accessdate=2012-01-27 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120127090010/http://www.putin2012.ru/info/headquarter/regions/83 |archivedate=2012-01-27 |url-status=live}}

In March 2014, Shakhnazarov supported the annexation of Crimea and signed a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin in support of the annexation.{{cite news |url=http://mkrf.ru/press-tsentr/novosti/ministerstvo/deyateli-kultury-rossii-v-podderzhku-pozitsii-prezidenta-po-ukraine-i-krymu |title=Culture activists of Russia in support of the position of the President on Russia's military intervention in Ukraine and Crimea |access-date=17 April 2014 |publisher=Russian Ministry of Culture |language=ru |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140311194202/mkrf.ru/press-tsentr/novosti/ministerstvo/deyateli-kultury-rossii-v-podderzhku-pozitsii-prezidenta-po-ukraine-i-krymu |archive-date=11 March 2014 |df=dmy-all}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/russian/russia/2014/03/140312_russian_artists_letter |title=Деятели культуры России поддержали Путина по Крыму |trans-title=Russian cultural figures supported Putin on Crimea |language=ru |website=BBC News Russian |date=2014-03-12 |access-date=2023-08-12}}{{Cite web |url=https://sobesednik.ru/politika/20160629-karen-shahnazarov-mne-ne-vse-nravitsya-no-alternativy-putin |title=Карен Шахназаров: Мне не все нравится. Но альтернативы Путину нет |trans-title=Karen Shakhnazarov: I don’t like everything. But there is no alternative to Putin |language=ru |website=Sobesednik |access-date=2023-08-12}} For this he was banned from entering Ukraine.{{cite web |url=http://www.unian.info/society/1608241-sbu-issues-entry-ban-against-140-russian-artists.html |title=SBU issues entry ban against 140 Russian artists |website=UNIAN |date=2016-11-05}}{{cite web |url=http://tass.com/world/910576 |title=Ukraine's State Security Service bans 140 Russian cultural figures from entering country |website=TASS news agency |date=2016-11-05}}

In September 2016, Shakhnazarov became a trusted representative of the United Russia party in the 2016 Russian legislative election.

In January 2018, Shakhnazarov became a trusted representative of Vladimir Putin in the 2018 Russian presidential election.{{cite web |url=http://tass.ru/politika/4869352 |title=ЦИК зарегистрировал 259 доверенных лиц Путина на выборах президента |trans-title=The Central Election Commission registered 259 Putin's proxies in the presidential elections |language=ru |website=TASS |date=2018-01-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180112151914/http://tass.ru/politika/4869352 |archive-date=2018-01-12}} Also in 2018, he became a trusted representative of Moscow mayoral candidate Sergey Sobyanin.{{cite web |url=https://echo.msk.ru/blog/varfolomeev/2265990-echo/ |title=Но есть и новички |trans-title=But there are also newcomers |language=ru |last=Varfolomeyev |first=Vladimir |author-link=:ru:Варфоломеев, Владимир Викторович |publisher=Echo of Moscow |date=2018-08-26 |access-date=2019-01-04 |archive-date=2019-01-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190104175736/https://echo.msk.ru/blog/varfolomeev/2265990-echo/ |url-status=live}}

On 15 January 2020, Shakhnazarov was included in the working group for preparing proposals to amend the Constitution of Russia.{{Cite news |title=Поправки в Конституцию напишут Прилепин, Шахназаров и казачий атаман |trans-title=Amendments to the Constitution will be written by Prilepin, Shakhnazarov and the Cossack ataman |url=https://www.svoboda.org/a/30379581.html |website=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |date=2020-01-15 |accessdate=2020-01-19 |archivedate=2020-07-28 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728222210/https://www.svoboda.org/a/30379581.html}}

On 24 February 2022, Shakhnazarov publicly supported the Russian invasion of Ukraine.{{Cite web |url=https://prosleduetmedia.com/syuzhety/poedem-postrelyaem/ |title="Поедем, постреляем?" |trans-title=“Shall we go and shoot?” |language=ru |website=Prodolzhenie sleduet |access-date=2023-08-14}}

On 28 April 2022, on the Russia-1 TV channel, Shakhnazarov threatened critics of the war with mass reprisals:

{{blockquote|These opponents of the letter "Z" must understand that if they expect that they will be spared, no, they will not be spared. Everything is getting serious now. If anything happens, this means concentration camps, re-education, so to speak, sterilization.{{Cite web |url=https://haqqin.az/news/244667 |title=Карен Шахназаров: Противников войны ждут стерилизация и концлагеря - видео |trans-title=Karen Shakhnazarov: Opponents of war will face sterilization and concentration camps - video |website=haqqin.az |date=2022-05-04 |access-date=2023-08-14}}{{Cite web |url=https://kun.uz/ru/01590516 |title=Шахназаров заявил, что критиков Z-символики ждет стерилизация и концлагеря |trans-title=Shakhnazarov said that critics of the Z-symbol will face sterilization and concentration camps |language=ru |website=Kun.uz |access-date=2023-08-14}}}}

He later stated that his words were "taken out of context."

On 10 March 2022, during a broadcast on Russia-1, Shakhnazarov{{cite web|title=Карен Шахназаров: "Спецоперация на Украине была неизбежна"|url=https://regnum.ru/news/3516813.html|publisher=regnum|date=24 February 2022}} called for an end to the invasion of Ukraine, saying that the situation was at risk of becoming "an absolute humanitarian disaster", and that there is no realistic possibility for the Russian forces to seize Kyiv and other major Ukrainian cities.{{cite news |date=10 March 2022 |title=Russian state television goes off message by broadcasting criticism of war |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/03/10/afghanistan-even-worse-ukraine-war-denounced-russian-state/ |newspaper=The Telegraph |url-status=live |language=en |archive-date=13 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220313101003/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/03/10/afghanistan-even-worse-ukraine-war-denounced-russian-state/}}

At a meeting of 13 November 2024 with President Putin Shakhnazarov stated that Mosfilm had handed over to the Russian Armed Forces in 2023 28 T-55 tanks, 8 PT-76 tanks, 6 infantry fighting vehicles and 8 tow trucks.{{cite web |author=|title=Russia sends film studio's military equipment from 1950s to war|url=https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2024/11/13/7484302/|website=Ukrainska Pravda|date=13 November 2024|access-date=13 November 2024|language=English}}