Angelina Nikonova

Angelina Nikonova was born in Rostov-on-Don, Russian RSFSR, Soviet Union (now Russia). She dreamed about film directing since her childhood. However, the situation with national film production in Russia is complicated, especially for a woman. As Angelina notices: ‘Women as film directors are rarely trusted’.^[1] Moreover, Russian viewer is reluctant to national product. People rather go to watch Hollywood production, than a film made in Russia. However, Angelina did not give up on her dream. She applied to All-Russian State University of Cinematography named after S. A. Gerasimov (aka VGIK). However, as she claims later, it was easier to immigrate to USA than to get accepted in VGIK.^[1] In 2001 she graduated from New York School of Visual Arts, with major in Film and Video.^[2]

In 2011 Angelina Nikonova and her partner Olga Dihovichnaya shot a feature film Twilight Portrait (Portret v symerkah), using a simple reflective camera due to the low budget.^[3] However, the film had a great success and won a number of prizes, including international price for best debut 2011 on Warsaw International Film Festival.^[4] For the film, Angelina worked as a director, a script writer, a producer, a location manager, casting director, make-up artists, and art director.^[1] At the same time, Angelina Nikonova worked as an organizer of International Film Festival 2morrow/Zavtra.^[5][6]

• 2000 – “Isosceles” - a short film, graduate work.^[7]
• 2005 – “Point of Return” – documentary, director.^[8]
• 2011 - "Twilight Portrait" - director, scriptwriter, producer.
• 2014 - "Velkam khom" - director, scriptwriter.^[9]

Twilight Portrait (aka Portret v Sumerkakh) received its world premiere at the 2011 Kinotavr Open Russian Film Festival, where it became a subject of understandable controversy among both critics and audiences.^{[clarification needed][10]}

At first it was shot on Canon EOS 5D Mark II, borrowed from a friend of Nikonova. It was shot during 29 days in Rostov-on-Don, with 5-6 people crew, consisting of friends and former classmate from New York, who was invited as a cameraman. The movie used 80 characters, 50 locations.^[1] At first, the script was written by Olga Dihovichnaya in two days. Later, it was edited by Angelina Nikonova, as the drama needed some ‘light’, as Nikonova notices in the interview.^[1]

• 2011 – Twilight Portrait – Kinotavr Open Russian Film Festival, best cinematography, Eben Bull.^[1]
• 2011 – Twilight Portrait – Reykjavik International Film Festival, grand prize.^[11]
• 2011 – Twilight Portrait – Warsaw International Film Festival, winner of 1-2 competition, ‘For the original approach and courage in showing the true situation of women in a world in which they turn to be stronger than the strongest man’.^[12]
• 2011 – Twilight Portrait – 19th Honfleur Russian Film Festival, Best first film and Best screen play, Olga Dichovichnaya, Angelina Nikonova.^[13]
• 2011 – Twilight Portrait – Annual award of the Guild of Historians of Cinema and Film Critics in Moscow, Best first film.^[14]
• 2011 – Twilight Portrait – 21st FilmFestival Cottbus – Festival of East European Cinema, Best Film.^[15]