Vladimir Alenikov (1948, Leningrad, USSR) began his artistic career in the Soviet era of communism. Alenikov’s first widespread success came through a series of children’s films featuring his creations - the characters Petrov and Vasechkin (1982) becoming Russian national treasures. In 1990 Alenikov completed The Drayman and the King, a film based on the work of Isaac Babel in the vein of “Fiddler on the Roof,” and ultimately, the most successful Russian musical. The film garnered several prizes in Russia and was an official selection at the Toronto International Film Festival and the American Film Institute (AFI) Festival in Los Angeles, among others. His filmography also includes The Awakening (doc., 1991), Time of Darkness (1991), Triumph (2000), The Gun (from 6 to 7:30 pm) (2003), Pictures Forever and Ever (2008), and Garbage (2010). During last decade Mr. Alenikov works also very successfully as a writer, publishing novels and children stories which became bestsellers. In 2007 he became a member of International PEN Club in both countries – Russia and USA.
