User:NadiaLeshchenko/Larisa Isaeva

Larisa Isaeva: Russian actress, producer, director

Larisa Isaeva was born in Tbilisi, Georgia, a former republic of the USSR, in a family of Julia Zhurkina, teacher of Russian language and literature, and Viktor Zhurkin, military officer. Later her family moved to Moscow. Larisa attended a Theatrical studio headed by Vladimir Knipper, nephew of a very well-known actress of the Moscow Arts Theater Olga Knipper-Chekhov, wife of a writer Anton Chekhov. In the Theatrical studio Larisa always played major parts and it was Knipper who taught her the basics of directing.

In 1984 Larisa enrolled into the Moscow Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) with major in directing, however, never gave up acting: she performed in VGIK’s plays and appeared in movies CELL by Sergei Beloshnikov, OTHER LIFE and SNOW QUEEN by Helen Raiskaya, and DEATH UNDER THE WILL by Sergei Bystritsky.

After graduation from the Institute of Cinematography, Larisa took on a job as an assistant director at Gorky Film Studio. There she worked on THEME’S CHILDHOOD directed by Helen Strizhevskaya, RICHARD the LIONHEART directed by Evgeni Gerasimov. In 1991 Larisa and Galina Bogoliubova organized a Theatrical Agency BOGIS. As a BOGIS’s producer and casting director Larisa produced a successful theatrical performance NIZHINSKY starring a very famous Russian actor Oleg Menshikov. In 1992 Larisa organized MAX, the first actor agency in Russia, which she named after her son. Even now MAX is the most famous actor agency in Russia. The name MAX became the legend, a symbol of new professional relationships in Russian Cinematography. In October, 2009 Larisa Isaeva has been awarded a Special Prize Gold Phoenix of Russian Guild of actors For Creation of Systems of Actor’s Agencies in Russia. After the fall of the Soviet Union Larisa was one of the few people who were helping Russian professional actors with legal paperwork and presentation to producers and directors. The word “casting” became popular and conventional thanks to the efforts of the first Russian actor agency MAX. Larisa was the first who began to present Russian actors for international projects. The first huge success was casting for an American blockbuster THE PEACEMAKER (by Mimi Leader) where Russian actor Aleksandr Baluev played one of the leading roles as well as George Clooney and Nicole Kidman. Other projects include DEEP IMPACT directed by Mimi Leder, THE PETERSBURG – CANNES EXPRESS directed by John Daly, THE RED SNAKE by Oleg Kapanets and others. MAX Agency successfully cooperates with film studious in the United States, France, Germany, England, etc.

In 1993 Larisa appeared as a producer of a fascinating play SECRET EVENT IN THE HOTEL GRINFINGERZ in English (director Simon Blazey, UK). This play was created with participation of Russian actors and successfully performed in the Moscow Country Club. In 1995 Larisa and a Russian actress Tatiana Lyutaeva organized a Film Festival Live Russian Cinema in Vilnius (Lithuania). Larisa was the producer of this festival for the six consequent years.

In 2003 Larisa organized MAX FILM Company. As a producer Larisa made her first full-length movie FOOL! directed by Maxim Korostyshevsky. The name of the movie had a symbolical meaning. In 2004 on the premier of her movie Larisa said, “I feel myself being…a fool! And I’m absolutely happy about that!” The movie won a Prize for the best direction and the best female role as well as the Presidential Award at the Film Festival Amur Autumn (2004).

By this time Larisa has produced four full-length movies and six TV series for Russian TV Channels. In 2005 Larisa became a member of Jury in The International Russia-China Film Festival Amur Autumn. In 2008 Larisa Isaeva directed her first full-length musical ANTISEX. In 2008 ANTISEX was included in an official program of the Russian Comedy Film Festival Smile, Russia! and won the prize for The Best Music and the prize For an Extravagant Debut in Movie Comedy. In 2009 Antisex also was included in an official program of International Independent Film Festival (ECU), France, in the International Panorama of Shanghai International Film Festival, and in the Competition of the International Film Festival in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

As a director Larisa Isaeva made one episode for TV series ZVEROBOY in 2008 and TV feature film (8 episodes) THE PRINCESS AND THE BEGGAR in 2009 (also as director of editing).

Larisa cannot think of her life without music, cooking, driving her car and traveling. She lives in Moscow, Russia.