Russian film director Kantemir Balagov announced his retirement from cinema

Russian film director Kantemir Balagov said that he will no longer work in wine. “I’m all over. Two films are more than enough,” Balagov wrote on his Twitter page, after which he deleted his accounts on social networks. There were no other comments from him.

Kantemir Balagov is 31 years old, a graduate of Alexander Sokurov’s workshop at Kabardino-Balkaria University. In 2017, his debut full-length film “Trespass” received the prize of the International Film Press Federation FIPRESSA in the “Private View” program of the Cannes Film Festival.

Two years later, Balagov’s second film, “Dylda”, won two prizes in the “Osobyi vzladg” program at Cannes – the same FIPRESA prize and the prize for the best director. In addition, “Dylda” was recognized as the best film in a foreign language by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, won the main prize of the Geneva International Film Festival and received two awards, for the best screenplay and the best cinematography, at the Asia-Pacific Film Awards.

After the full-scale invasion of Russian troops on Ukrainian territory, Balagov supported Ukraine and left Russia for the United States, where he planned to make his debut full-length English-language film.