Yuriy Norshtein
Yuriy Norshtein – director, animator, scriptwriter, artist
People’s Artist of Russia (1996), prize-winner of the National Prize of USSR (1979)
Born September 15, 1941 in Penza region, village Andreyevka (in evacuation).
1943 – homecoming together with his mother and elder brother Garik back to Moscow (father was at the battlefront)
1948-1958 – studied in the comprehensive secondary school (no. 606)
1956-1958 – studied in the School of Arts in Krasnopresensky region
1958-1959 – worked on the furniture complex (Moscow Furniture Building Complex in Moscow no.2) as a carpenter.
1959-1961 – courses for designers and animators under the film studio Soyuzmultfilm
1961 – began his work on Soyuzmultfilm studio as designer and animator
1961-1973 – designer-animator for more than 50 motions. Among them Left-hander (director I. Ivanov-Vano), Boniface’s Holiday (director F. Khitruk), The Mitten, Cheburashka (director R. Kachanov), the sequence of works based on Pushkin works (director A. Khrzhanovsky).
Beginning from 1973 – director of animated films on Soyuzmultfilm studio. The Twenty-Fifth. Day One, Battle Near Kerzhenets, The Fox and the Hare, The Heron and the Crane, The Hedgehog and the Fog, Tale of Tales, The Overcoat (not finished), Russian Sugar – 4 promo reels, caption to Good Night, Kids children’s programme, film on Bashō poetry in the Japanese sequence Winter Day, Japan.
1979-1796 – teacher for the university leavers in scriptwriting and the art of direction in animation films.
1989 – quitted from Soyuzmultfilm.
1990 – began his work on Rolan Bykov Foundation, Artel Studio was juristically transformed into Yuriy Norshtein Foundation.
2000 – quitted from the Rolan Bykov foundation.
At different times read his lections in National University of Cinematography. Honoured professor of NUC.
Instruction courses:
Norway (1993), England (1991, 1994), Hungary, Italy, France, Poland, Canada, Sweden (1995 - 1998), th U. S. (2000), Holland (1998), Belgium (1994, 1995), Poland (1993, 2001), Latvia, Japan (1995 – 2007 - annually).
Wife: Yarbusova Francesca Alfredovna – production designer of animated films.
Son: Boris (born 1968).
Daughter: Yekaterina (born 1970).
Father: Norshtein Berko Leibovich (1905-1956)
Mother: Krichevskaya Basya Girshevna (1912-2001).
Exhibitions in Perm Gallery, Museum of the Cinema in Moscow, Mayor’s Office in Paris (Hotel de Ville), Dziburi Hotel in Tokyo, in the department of the private collections in the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts.
His films are awarded by a great number of international prizes.
Repeatedly published his works on art of animation topic, including Wisdom of Imagination collection.
Author of Snow on the Grass. Chapters from the Book (2005), Tale of Tales (2005), Snow on the Grass (2008).
Acted in documentaries:
1991 – Yuriy Norshtein (Bulgaria)
2004 – Russian Magic (Israel)
2000 – the sequence Islands
2001 – The World of Animation or Animation of the World, series Soyuzmultfilm – tales and true stories.
2003 – series Old Walls
2004 – series Tales of Old Arbat, series And Life, and Tales, and Love…
2006 – The Factory of Miracles, series Director of Animation
2006 – Weightless Life
2007 – The Monologue – documentary of 4 episodes (scriptwriter N. Vinogradov, director N. Urvachyova. National Channel Culture)
In 1984 in Los Angeles the motion Tale of Tales was voted to be the best film ever.
In 2003 in Tokyo film The Hedgehog in the Fog was voted to be the best film ever, the second place was given to Tale of Tales.
Tarkovsky Prize for the ‘Contribution in the arts development’ (1989)
International Journalist Association Medal for the ‘Contribution in the development of animation and films for children and youth’ (1989)
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of Arts and Letters, France) (1991)
Triumph Prize (1995)
Starevich Prize (1997)
Vysotsky Prize (2000)
‘Master’ Award for the Exhibition of Fine Arts in Pushkin Museum (2005)
Order of the Rising Sun (2004)
Honourable Professor of the National Museum of Cinematography in Moscow.
In 2005 - Honourable Doctor of Fine Arts in Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, USA.
Award from Jewish Communities Federation in Russia. ‘Man of the Year’ Prize, nomination ‘Man Legend’ (2008).
National USSR Award (1979) – for The Fox and the Hare (1973), The Heron and the Crane (1974) and The Hedgehog in the Fog (1975).
People’s Artist of Russia (August, 30 1996) – for outstanding service in the field of art.
1962 – Two Tales (animator), Living Numbers (animator);
1963 – Moskvichok (animator), Mister Twister (animator), Tale about the Old Cedar (animator), Attention!A Wizard in the City! (animator);
1964 – Left-Handed (animator).
1965 – Miracles (animator), How One Man Two Generals Subsisted (animator), Boniface’s Holiday (animator);
1966 – My Green Crocodile (animator), Go There – Don’t Know Where (animator);
1967 – The Mitten (animator), Ryzhyk (animator), Legend about the Evil Giant (animator);
1968 – The 25-th. Day One (director, scriptwriter, production designer, animator), Comedian (animator), Caution, Pike! (animator);
1969 – Seasons (animator), Mean Kuzya (animator), Tale about Kolobok (animator), The Children and the Matches (director, animator);
1970 – The Beavers Trail (animator);
1971 – General Toptygin (animator), The Battle near Kerzhenets (director, animator: I International Animation Festival in Zagreb Grand-Prize, Yugoslavia; 1972 – International Animation Festival in New York Grand-Prize, USA).
1973 – Cheburashka (animator), Losharik (animator);
1972 – Cherished Dream (animator), Mother (animator), New Year’s Tale (animator);
1973 – Avrora (animator), Aibolit and Barmaley (animator);
1973 – The Fox and the Hare (director, production designer, scriptwriter, animator; II International Animation Festival in Zagreb Grand-Prize, Yugoslavia, 1974), Cuckoo Clock (animator).
1974 – Adventures of Chichikov. Manilov (animator), The Heron and the Crane (director, scriptwriter, production designer, animator; International Animation Festival in Annecy Award France; 1975: III International Animation Festival in New York Grand-Prize, USA; X International Film Festival for Children and Youth Award, Teheran, Iran; VI International Film Festival in Tamper Award, Finland, 1976; Award on XXV International Film Festival in Melbourne, Australia, 1976; Award on VI International Film Festival dedicated to films for children in Panama, 1976; Award on II International Film Festival dedicated to tales in Odense, Denmark, 1977), Shapoklyak (animator).
1975 – Visiting the Dwarfs (animator), The Hedgehog in the Fog (director, production designer, animator; Award on XI International Film festival dedicated to children and youth films in Teheran, Iran, 1977; Award on XIII International Film Festival in Chicago, USA, 1977; Award on XV International Film Festival in Xixon, Spain, 1977; Award on XVIII International Film Festival in Melbourne, Australia, 1978; taking into account the results of international poll held by the Academy of Film Arts in cooperation with Association International du Film d'Animation – Hollywood, voted to be The best animated film ever, Tokyo, 2003);
1976 – 38 Parrots (animator);
1977 – A Day Before Anno Domini (experimental reel; director), The Old House (animator);
1979 – Tale of Tales (director, scriptwriter, production designer, Award on XXVI International Film Festival of documentaries and motions in Oberhausen, Germany, 1980; taking into account the results of international poll held by the Academy of Film Arts in cooperation with Association International du Film d'Animation – Hollywood, voted to be the best animated film ever, Los Angeles, 1984);
1980 – And me Again with You… (animator);
1981 – The Overcoat (still in progress; director, scriptwriter, animator; the 1-st prize for the materials to the film on XV International Contest of Technical Films in Montreal, 1989).
1982 – Autumn (animator);
1987 – School of Fine Arts. A Landscape with Cade (animator);
1990 – School of Fine Arts. Comeback (animator);
1994-95 – Russian Sugar - 4 promos (scriptwriter, director, animator);
1998 -1999 – caption to Good Night, Kids programme (scriptwriter, director, and animator);
2003 – FUYU NO HI (collection Winter Day based on Bashō poetry, Japan; the author of the Autumn Swirl… story; scriptwriter, animator).
| Yuriy Norshtein - "The Hedgehog in the Fog " | Yuriy Norshtein - "Tale of Tales " |
| Yuriy Norshtein - "The Heron and the Crane" | Yuriy Norshtein - "The Fox and the Hare " |
| Yuriy Norshtein - «The Overcoat » | Yuriy Norshtein for Nikita Mihalkov |
| Master class Yuri Norstein: history and film concept | Master class Yuri Norstein: animation and poetry |