Slava Tsukerman

Directing

Slava Tsukerman

Born March 9, 1940 · Moscow, USSR

Died March 2, 2026 · aged 85

Vladislav "Slava" Mendelevich Tsukerman (Russian: Сла́ва (Владисла́в Менделе́вич) Цукерма́н; March 9, 1940 – March 2, 2026) was a Russian film director of Jewish origin. He was born in the Soviet Union and emigrated in 1973 with his wife Nina Kerova to Israel. In 1976 he moved to New York City. He is best known for producing, directing, and writing the screenplay for the 1982 cult film Liquid Sky.…

Known For

Poor LizaPoor Liza · 2000
Poor Liza
9.02000
MovieDrama
A beautiful peasant girl is romanced and abandoned by a young nobleman.
Liquid SkyLiquid Sky · 1982
Liquid Sky
5.81982
MovieScience FictionThriller
An alien creature invades New York's punk subculture in its search for an opiate released by the brain during an orgasm.
PerestroikaPerestroika · 2009
Perestroika
3.82009
MovieDrama
Top astrophysicist Sasha Greenberg has spent the past 17 years working in the United States. An invitation to speak at a Congress on Cosmology in his native Moscow brings him home for the first time to confront colleagues, and unanswered personal questions. As Russia undergoes perestroika, public and private lives are radically re-assessed and Sasha sees the social and sexual upheavals as a crisis
Stalin's WifeStalin's Wife · 2005
Stalin's Wife
9.02005
MovieDocumentary
At the tender age of sixteen Nadezhda Alliluyev married Joseph Stalin, twenty three years her senior. Throughout their fourteen years of family life, Nadezhda stood by as Stalin transformed from the ordinary revolutionary into the unlimited dictator of Russia - a semi-god, whose portraits replaced Christian orthodox icons in the corners of peasant's huts. One morning she was found dead in her bed, revolver by her side. Up to this day, historians continue the heated debate as to whether she had killed herself or was murdered by Stalin. Tsukerman's film is an attempt to solve the riddles of the not-so-distant past, weaving stories within stories and blending commentary from remaining relatives, friends, and historians with rare archival footage. The film provides a fascinating overview of the early history of the USSR while simultaneously exploring the myriad questions surrounding this complex relationship.
A Night for ReflectionA Night for Reflection · 1972
A Night for Reflection
1972
MovieDrama
A film about reflection, where the hero argues with himself.
Liquid Sky RevisitedLiquid Sky Revisited · 2017
Liquid Sky Revisited
2017
MovieDocumentary
Retrospective documentary on the making of the low-budget sci-fi cult classic Liquid Sky (1982).
I Believe in SpringI Believe in Spring · 1962
I Believe in Spring
1962
MovieRomance
Made when director Vladislav “Slava” Tsukerman was 21, this award-winning short film – the Soviet Union's first independent short film – tracks the chase for a girl's affection as spring arrives.
Two Months of WorkTwo Months of Work · 1961
Two Months of Work
1961
MovieDocumentary
A builders' trip to the virgin land.

Filmography

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Stalin's WifeStalin's Wife · 2005
Stalin's Wife
9.02005
MovieDocumentary
At the tender age of sixteen Nadezhda Alliluyev married Joseph Stalin, twenty three years her senior. Throughout their fourteen years of family life, Nadezhda stood by as Stalin transformed from the ordinary revolutionary into the unlimited dictator of Russia - a semi-god, whose portraits replaced Christian orthodox icons in the corners of peasant's huts. One morning she was found dead in her bed, revolver by her side. Up to this day, historians continue the heated debate as to whether she had killed herself or was murdered by Stalin. Tsukerman's film is an attempt to solve the riddles of the not-so-distant past, weaving stories within stories and blending commentary from remaining relatives, friends, and historians with rare archival footage. The film provides a fascinating overview of the early history of the USSR while simultaneously exploring the myriad questions surrounding this complex relationship.

Writer