Film director Vladimir Menshov died at the age of 81 after being infected with the new coronavirus. His film “Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears” won the US Academy Award in 1981 for Best Foreign Language Film.
Menshov died of complications after getting Covid-19, the film studio “Mosfil” announced on Monday.
“We knew he was suffering from Covid-19, but in a mild form. It’s completely awful and unexpected, “director Vladimir Hotinenko told AFP.
“His death leaves a huge vacuum in our common cultural space,” he added.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Menshov’s death was “a huge loss to our cinema and our culture,” and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his deepest condolences.
Born in Baku in 1939, Menshov worked in his youth as a turner and sailor until he slowly entered the world of cinema and theater. He has made ten films and worked as an actor.
His comedy “Love and Pigeons”, released in 1984, is still one of the most watched films on Russian television.
Menshov has entered the history of world cinema with the film “Moscow does not believe in tears”. Only two Soviet films have received an Oscar. The other is director Sergei Bondarchuk’s drama “War and Peace”.
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