Vitaly Mansky

Directing

Vitaly Mansky

Born December 2, 1963 · Lvov, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Lviv, Ukraine] (age 62)

Vitaly Vsevolodovich Mansky (Russian: Вита́лий Все́володович Ма́нский, Ukrainian: Віталій Всеволодович Манський; born 2 December 1963 in Lviv, Ukrainian SSR, USSR) is a film and documentary maker of Jewish Ukrainian origin. His films have been screened at film festivals worldwide and he has received over 100 international awards. In 2007, he founded the International Festival of Creative Documenta…

Known For

Under the SunUnder the Sun · 2015
Under the Sun
★ 7.22015
MovieDocumentary
Over the course of one year, this film follows the life of an ordinary Pyongyang family whose daughter was chosen to take part in Day of the Shining Star (Kim Jong-il's birthday) celebration. While North Korean government wanted a propaganda film, the director kept on filming between the scripted scenes. The ritualized explosions of color and joy contrast sharply with pale everyday reality, which is not particularly terrible, but rather quite surreal.
Putin's WitnessesPutin's Witnesses · 2018
Putin's Witnesses
★ 6.32018
MovieDocumentaryHistory
Russian Federation, December 31, 1999. After President Boris Yeltsin's unexpected resignation, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin becomes acting president of the country. From that day and for a year, Vitaly Mansky's camera documented Putin's rise to power. The story of a privileged witness. The harsh explanation of the reason why politics is the art of possibility of achieving the best with the support of many, but also of giving the worst in return.
Close RelationsClose Relations · 2016
Close Relations
★ 7.22016
MovieDocumentary
Vitaly Mansky’s intimate and insightful new documentary finds him crisscrossing Ukraine in the wake of the Maidan uprising, which has left his relatives scattered on both sides of a highly charged and dizzyingly complex political situation.
VirginityVirginity · 2008
Virginity
★ 5.02008
MovieDocumentary
Three young women, who each have a sought-after commodity - their virginity. Kristina, Karina and Katya each try to make their way in a world ruled by fame, popularity and money.
PipelinePipeline · 2013
Pipeline
★ 5.12013
MovieDocumentary
Director Vitaly Manskiy sets off on the trail of the Trans-Siberian gas pipeline to find out what it’s like for ordinary people living in its vicinity. This visually refined road movie, eloquently illustrating the absurd banality of modern Russia, is also an unsettling portrait of a gas line on which most of Europe is reliant.
IronIron · 2024
Iron
2024
MovieDocumentary
War doesn’t start and end in battlefields; it originates and is buried in peaceful cities. This film delves into the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine, not by focusing on violence, shelling, or the victims, but by reflecting on the military vehicles that either enter or have long been embedded in the lives and minds of people across various countries.
IconoscopeIconoscope · 2011
Iconoscope
2011
MovieDocumentary
They say that the average Earthling spends about 10 years of his life at the TV screen. It is pointless to ask whether these are lost years - without television, it is impossible to imagine our civilization, although not 100 years have passed since its invention. "Iconoscope" is a chance to cover the entire vast history of television in 100 minutes of exciting and paradoxical spectacle.
MummiesMummies · 2001
Mummies
★ 8.02001
MovieDocumentary
Yulia is sixteen, she lives in a hut and is pregnant. Vanya lives with his parents in a five-story building. His parents are against mesalliance and do not let the couple on the threshold.

Filmography

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Valentina LeontievaValentina Leontieva · 2003
Valentina Leontieva
2003
MovieDocumentary
One of the legends of Soviet television is Valentina Leontieva. One of the first TV presenters. She was called the All-Union "Aunt Valya". The peak of Leontieva's fame came in the late 1960s - early 1970s, when she led the program adored by the people "From the bottom of her heart." And besides, there were festive concerts "Blue light", popular children's programs "Visiting a fairy tale", "Good night, kids", "Skillful Hands", "Alarm Clock"... Leontieva's story about herself in the film is illustrated by film and TV newsreels, photographs of her personal archive. But even the most vivid memories of former glory cannot drown out the pain and longing. Valentina Mikhailovna appears in front of the audience in a housecoat and slippers. The poor atmosphere, the unpretentious decoration of her home, and most importantly, the genuine sadness in her eyes and voice indicate that the once beloved and irreplaceable Aunt Valya was undeservedly forgotten.

Director

Motherland or DeathMotherland or Death · 2011
Motherland or Death
★ 6.52011
MovieDocumentary
Using Cuban cities as the backdrop to personal stories, the renowned documentary maker Vitaly Mansky depicts the complexity of contemporary Cuba. As the regime begins to slightly relax its iron grip, the island begins to slowly open up to the world. Despite the economic hardship, a life full of passion, temperament and energy still pulsates in Cuban cities. Food is rationed and decent living conditions is an illusion for many. The dreams of today’s senior citizens, who believed in Fidel and his communist experiment 50 years ago, have not been fully realized. Children of these revolutionaries still follow the ideals of the revolution but do not seem all that convinced. Instead young people prefer to enjoy small pleasures the regime allows for. While many Cubans look for life outside of Cuba, for tourists the island is for many reasons very special destination. Motherland or Death is the story of real life played out against the picturesque background of today’s Cuba.

Director