Yuri Borisovich Norstein

Animator, Director

15/09/1941

--

Andreyevka, Penza Oblast, Russia

Biography

Norstein was born in Andreyevka, Penza region in Russia on September 15, 1941.

Norstein is credited as one of the most legendary Russian animators of all time. His most famous film, Hedgehog in the Fog, released in 1975 to critical acclaim, and won for best animated film at the All-Union Film Festival in 1976. Norstein directed more than 50 films, though many of them were shorts, as his oeuvre is clocked at only around 80 minutes long.

To this day, Norstein continues to work on The Overcoat and has completed 25 minutes of the film.

Family and early life

Norstein married Franceska Yarbusova, whom he met at Soyuzmultfilm. She is also Norstein’s collaborator on a number of his films.

Career outline

Norstein was hired in 1961 by Soyuzmultfilm. From 1961 to 1971, he was an animator on several films, however he often expressed his desire to quit animation and pursue painting, as he was seldom interested in the projects the studio was working on. However, after several failed attempts to apply to art school, he eventually worked to become a director at Soyuzmultfilm. He started directing in 1973, and he won the top prize the year after at the All-Union Film Festival for his film Fox and Rabbit (1973).

In 1985, Norstein was fired by Soyuzmultfilm because he was taking too long to finish a film he started making in 1981 called The Overcoat, which is based on the Nikolai Gogol short story of the same name. He started teaching at the Graduate School of Scriptwriters and Film Directors from 1979 to 1996. In 1993, he along with Fyodor Khitruk, Eduard Nazarov, and Andrey Khrzhanovsky founded SHAR Studio and he taught there until 1998. In 2000, he founded the Yuri Norstein Foundation and lectured at the VGIK.

References:

“Renowned Soviet Animator Yuri Norstein Turns 80.” The Moscow Times, 2020.

“Yuri Norstein.” Atmans Gallery, n.d.

“Yuri Norstein Retrospective.” New Zealand International Film Festival, 2005.