Evgeny Afineevsky

Evgeny Mikhailovich Afineevsky (Russian: Евгений Михайлович Афинеевский; born October 21, 1972) is an Israeli-American film director, producer and cinematographer who lives in the United States. In 2016 Afineevsky was nominated for an Academy Award and Emmys for his documentary Winter on Fire.

Evgeny Afineevsky
Evgeny Afineevsky in 2015.
Born (1972-10-21) October 21, 1972
Kazan, Tatar ASSR, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
CitizenshipUnited States & State of Israel[1]
OccupationFilm director, producer and cinematographer
Years active1999–present
Notable work
Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom, Cries from Syria

Early life

Afineevsky was born in Kazan, Tatar ASSR, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union on October 21, 1972 to a Russian-Jewish family.[2] In the early 1990s, Afineevsky became an Israeli citizen and served in the Israeli Defence Forces.[1] As he became involved in the film industry, he relocated to Los Angeles in the United States through connections to Menahem Golan, living there since 1999.[1] Afineevsky is openly homosexual.[3]

Career

Early Israeli and American works

Afineevsky's filmmaking career began as a teenager when he won the First Prize for Best Documentary in Kazan, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, and was invited to participate in the Black Sea International Film Festival hosted by the USSR Pioneer Camp Orlyonok in Krasnodar region, Russia.[4]

"During 1994-2000, Afineevsky coordinated and produced over 30 musicals in Israel, such as: “Bat” (Die Fledermaus), “Gypsy Baron,” “Viennese Blood,” “Night in Venice,” “Silva Princess of Csárdás”, “Mozart Konzerte” with the Prague National Opera Orchestra, and many others. In 1997 and through the beginning of 1999, he produced and co-directed the play “The Mousetrap” by Agatha Christie, and with great success he produced and again co-directed a play by Agatha Christie titled “Spider Web’ in 1999."[4]

"In 1999, still in Israel, he directed the TV series “Days of Love.” In 2000-2002, he produced three feature films, “Crime & Punishment,” starring Crispin Glover, John Hurt, Clive Revill, and Margot Kidder; “Death Game,” starring Billy Drago, Joe Lara, Richard Lynch and Bo Brown; and “The Return from India,” starring Aki Avni, Riki Gal, Assi Dayan, Dana Parnas and Orly Perl."[4]

"As producer of “The Return from India” (2002), Afineevsky received the Israeli Grand from the Israeli Film Fund. In 2005, he received The Gold Special Jury Award from the 38th Annual Houston Worldfest for “The Return from India.” In 2007, he received the Platinum Remi Award from the 40th Annual Houston Worldfest for his film “Crime & Punishment” (2002). In 2008, he received the Platinum Remi Award from the 41st Annual Houston Worldfest for his film “Death Game” (2002). “Oy Vey! My Son Is Gay!” was his feature directorial debut for which he collected over 23 awards in the US and abroad. Then he created the educational documentary project “Divorce: A Journey Through the Kids’ Eyes,” which was immediately picked up by distributors and received awards and recognition from the US festival circuit."[4]

Documentaries on Ukraine and Syria

His historical feature documentary Winter on Fire was an official selection of the Venice and Telluride international film festivals, received the People’s Choice Award for the Best Documentary from the Toronto International Film Festival, the 2016 Television Academy Honors Award and was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Documentary category and the Primetime Emmy Awards in the Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking category. The film covered the Euromaidan protests in Ukraine during the Ukraine crisis and was largely catered towards a anti-Moscow position.[1]

In 2016 Afineevsky spent months on the ground in Syria, using his cameras to craft a comprehensive account of the war. His new documentary, Cries from Syria, was an Official Selection at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. HBO has acquired US TV rights to Cries from Syria ahead of its world premiere in the Documentary Premieres section of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. The film debuted on March 13, 2017 and is available on HBO NOW, HBO GO, HBO On Demand and affiliate portals. In August 2017 Afineevsky was awarded with the Friend of the Free Press Trophy by the Los Angeles Press Club for his work on Cries from Syria. He was named the Best Director at the annual Critics' Choice Documentary Awards in New York on November 2, 2017. On November 21, 2017 Producers Guild of America named Cries from Syria among the nominees for the Outstanding Producer of Documentary Motion Pictures Award. He and his film earned IPA Satellite Awards nominations for Best Documentary and Best Song in a Documentary for PRAYERS FOR THIS WORLD, performed by Cher. The Awards Circuit Community Awards nominated his movie as Best Documentary Feature for 2017. He won International Documentary Association’s Courage Under Fire Award, earned a PGA Award nomination, won a Humanitas Prize and Cinema for Peace Awards as Most Valuable Documentary of the Year, won 32nd Fort Lauderdale Film Festival, Documentaries Without Borders Film Festival and 51st Houston WorldFest Film Festival, as well as the Overseas Press Club’s Peter Jennings Award. During 2018, Afineevsky and his movie Cries from Syria earned four Emmy nominations.

Francesco

In 2020, Afineevsky released a documentary featuring Pope Francis entitled Francesco. Afineevsky said concerning this film: "I am not trying to do propaganda. What I'm trying to do, I’m trying to show to the people what they're missing."[5] A segment from the documentary in regards to homosexuality and the Catholic Church triggered worldwide headlines in October 2020.[5] In the documentary, Bergoglio declared, with multiple cuts nonetheless:[6][7] "Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family. [...] They’re children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out, or be made miserable because of it. [...] What we have to create is a civil union law. I stood up for that."[5][8][9][7] According to Deadline, the statement stirred controversy as it was regarded as contradicting Catholic teachings on homosexuality which officially categorises homosexual activity as "deviant behavior."[5]

Awards

On February 21, 2020 Catholics in Media Associates awarded him with 2020 CIMA Social Justice Award.[10]

Filmography

References
  1. Lipshitz, Cnan (February 25, 2016). "Expat Israeli director takes Ukraine revolution to the Oscars". Times of Israel. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  2. Pullella, Philip (October 21, 2020). "Jewish director sends message of hope in Pope Francis film". Reuters. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  3. Association 2020, Press (October 22, 2020). "Plot thickens over origins of pope's civil union endorsement". The Herald (Scotland). Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  4. "#WJForum V: Speakers". World Justice Project. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  5. Carey, Matthew (October 21, 2020). "Evgeny Afineevsky's On His 'Francesco' Documentary That Made Worldwide Headlines With Pope Francis' Comments About LGBT Unions". Deadline. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  6. "Derrière la phrase du Pape sur les homosexuels, un montage malin". Aleteia (in French). 2020-10-22. Retrieved 2020-10-28.
  7. "Pope Francis' homosexuality comments heavily edited in documentary, Vatican has no comment on civil unions". Catholic News Agency. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 2020-10-27.
  8. "What did Pope Francis say about civil unions? A CNA Explainer". Catholic Herald. October 21, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  9. "Pope endorses same-sex civil unions in new documentary film". YNet News. October 21, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  10. "2020 Social Justice Award at Religious Ed Congress". Catholics in Media. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
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