Every year, the whole world holds its breath in anticipation of the main film award — the Oscars. For many, it is synonymous with global recognition in the art of cinema. And although Russia has a rich cinematic history, the path to these golden statuettes for our compatriots has often been difficult and incredibly vivid.
Our article is a journey through these stellar moments. We will remember not only the legendary directors and actors whose names are known to everyone, but also those whose brilliant work remained behind the scenes. Costume designers, animators, visual effects creators—their contribution is no less important.
From the triumph of Soviet cinema in the middle of the last century to recent victories in technical categories, each of these twelve stories is unique. They tell of talent that managed to overcome the language barrier and win over the most discerning Hollywood jury. Let's remember together when Russia rightfully said at the Oscars, “And the winner is…”
- Lewis Milestone
- Dmitry Temkin
- Alexander Golitsyn
- Barbara Karinska
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- Lilia Kedrova
- “The defeat of German troops near Moscow”
- “War and Peace”
- “Dersu Uzala”
- “Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears”
- Burnt by the Sun
Lewis Milestone
Still from the film All Quiet on the Western Front, 1930
Leib Milstein, better known as Lewis Milestone, was born in 1895 into a wealthy family of manufacturers in Kishinev. After graduating from school in his hometown, he enrolled at Ghent University in Belgium, and then emigrated to the United States, where he worked as a photographer's assistant. During World War I, he joined the photography department of the North American military signal corps and became interested in cinema. After completing his service, Milstein moved to Hollywood, where he worked as an assistant director and editor, and then began making his own films. In 1929, his film The Two Knights of Arabia won an Oscar for Best Comedy Direction. The following year, Milestone won another Oscar for All Quiet on the Western Front, based on the novel of the same name by E.M. Remarque. The director went down in Oscar history as the first winner of two statuettes. He was nominated twice more, in 1931 and 1940.
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Dmitry Temkin
Still from the film “The Old Man and the Sea,” 1958
Dmitri Temkin was born in 1894 in the Poltava Governorate of the Russian Empire. He received his musical education in his native Kremenchug and earned his living by giving private lessons and performing as a tap dancer in the cinema. In 1917, shortly after the revolution, he organized several large-scale musical events: the May Day “Mystery of Liberated Labor” and a staging of “The Capture of the Winter Palace,” but he had no great prospects in the new country. In 1921, Temkin emigrated to Berlin, and a couple of years later, on the advice of Fyodor Chaliapin, he left for the United States. In 1929, his Hollywood career began: he composed music for Westerns and experimented with sound and timbre combinations. In 1937, he received his first Oscar nomination, followed by 21 more. He won the coveted statuette four times — for the music and best song for High Noon and for the music for the films The Big Country and The Old Man and the Sea.
Alexander Golitsyn
Still from the film To Kill a Mockingbird, 1962
Alexander Golitsyn, heir to the famous Russian noble family of Golitsyn, was born in Moscow in 1908. Shortly after the October Revolution, at the age of 16, he emigrated with his family to the United States, where he completed his education. After receiving an education in architecture, Golitsyn began working as a production designer in Los Angeles, collaborating with renowned directors until he became art director and supervisor at Universal Studios. He was nominated for an Oscar 14 times and won the award three times for his work on the films The Phantom of the Opera, Spartacus, and To Kill a Mockingbird.
Barbara Karinska
Still from the film Joan of Arc, 1948
His list reminds us that contemporary Russian art is very diverse. It includes painting, sculpture, and new media. They are united by one thing — a strong authorial position and the ability to speak to the viewer about important topics.
Ingrid Bergman
in the lead role, and soon received a second nomination for costumes for the ballet film Hans Christian Andersen.
For the bottom, choose:
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Still from the film “In the Port,” 1954
Boris Kaufman, brother of Russian filmmakers Dziga Vertov and Mikhail Kaufman, was born in 1903 in the Grodno province of the Russian Empire. After 1917, Boris emigrated with his parents to Europe, studied in Grenoble, graduated from the Sorbonne, and began working in cinema. He shot all of Jean Vigo's films and worked with other renowned French directors. During World War II, Kaufman emigrated to the United States, where he began working with his Hollywood colleagues. In 1954, he won an Oscar for his cinematography in the film “On the Waterfront” with
Marlon Brando
in the lead role, and in 1956 he was nominated for the second time for the film “The Glass Menagerie” based on the screenplay by Tennessee Williams.
Lilia Kedrova
Still from the film Zorba the Greek, 1964
Elizaveta Kedrova was born in Soviet Petrograd in 1918, but at the age of four she emigrated with her parents to Germany, and from there to France. In 1945, she began her theater career and participated in productions of French and foreign classics in Parisian theaters. She was soon noticed in cinema, and Lila became a character actress in French comedies. In 1964, she starred in the 20th Century Fox drama Zorba the Greek and won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. She then appeared in several more Hollywood films and moved to Canada.
“The defeat of German troops near Moscow”
Still from the film “The Defeat of German Troops near Moscow,” 1942
The first Oscar winner from the Soviet Union was the documentary film The Defeat of German Troops Near Moscow by Leonid Varlamov and Ilya Kopalin. The film received the Academy Award in 1943, and a year earlier it was awarded the Stalin Prize.
Russians and representatives of Russian cinema have won the world's top film award, the Oscar, on more than one occasion. Although Russian-made feature films rarely make it to the top of the list, Russian directors, artists, and short film makers have managed to win the recognition of the American Academy several times — both for their artistic achievements and for their unusual, touching, and socially significant stories. These 12 victories are not just awards, but international recognition of talent, depth, and skill that transcend language and culture.
“War and Peace”
Still from the film “War and Peace,” 1968
The first Soviet Oscar for Best Picture in 1968 went to Sergei Bondarchuk's War and Peace, based on Leo Tolstoy's epic novel of the same name. The film, which took six years to make, was noted for its large-scale battle scenes and innovative panoramic photography. War and Peace was also nominated in the Best Art Direction category, but did not win.
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“Dersu Uzala”
Still from the film Dersu Uzala, 1975
The Soviet-Japanese feature film Dersu Uzala, directed by Sergei Gerasimov and Akira Kurosawa, won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 1976. The film adaptation of the novel of the same name by scientist and traveler Vladimir Arseniev won awards at six other prestigious festivals around the world.
“Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears”
Still from the film Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears, 1979
The third Soviet film to receive an Academy Award was Vladimir Menshov's Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears. The highest-grossing film in the Soviet Union was not well received by Soviet critics, but it won over the Oscar jury and received the statuette in the Best Foreign Language Film category.
Burnt by the Sun
Still from the film Burnt by the Sun, 1995
The first (and so far only) Oscar winner from Russia was Nikita Mikhalkov's film Burnt by the Sun in 1995. Like Dersu Uzala, it was filmed in collaboration with a foreign studio — a French one. In addition to the Academy Award, the film won prizes at several other prestigious film festivals, including Cannes.
Our history with the Oscars is not just a list of victories, but a collection of memorable moments when Russian talent was in the spotlight. Each of these statuettes is a testament to the mastery that transcends language and cultural barriers, resonating with audiences and colleagues around the world.
These achievements show that our cinema and our artists have been and remain part of a large international dialogue. Wins in categories other than “best film” are especially important: they remind us that cinema is a complex organism, where music, animation, and documentaries create its soul.
The path to the golden statuette has never been easy, but it proves that unique artistic vision will always be valued. This selection is not only a source of pride for the past, but also a source of inspiration for future generations of filmmakers. Who knows whose name will be next on this prestigious list.
