Mikhail Sergeyevich Litvyakov was born on May 17, 1938, in the city of Pushkin, Leningrad Region.
In 1965, he graduated from the directing department of VGIK; with his very first works—*Difficult Kids* and *Goodbye, Mom* (both 1966)—he established himself as a filmmaker interested in pressing real-life issues and the complexities of human relationships and character.
Mikhail Litvyakov linked his creative career to the Leningrad Documentary Film Studio and became one of the directors of the so-called "Leningrad Wave."
In the 1960s, it was common to value a child's unmediated view of the world. Litvyakov did not reject this perspective, yet he looked deeper; beyond youthful romanticism, he saw the complexities of real-life choices.
Litvyakov’s films are deceptively simple to watch, yet they always possess a deeper layer of meaning. He possessed a genuine talent for capturing what was most relevant before it became common knowledge. Above all, however, Litvyakov imbued every film with a personal touch: "You have to love people. That is the primary quality. Without the engagement of the author's soul, the soul of the subject is not revealed. The most important human qualities for a documentary filmmaker are love, respect, compassion, patience, and empathy. A documentarian is someone who wants to do good for people." "If a person has no intention of leaving a positive mark, they had better not pick up a camera. I believe there is so much hardship in life that when you make a film, you should pour part of your soul into it and make the viewer your co-creator. Every film should offer hope. If the filmmaker possesses empathy and compassion, a connection with the audience will follow."
Litvyakov’s body of work as a director comprises over fifty documentary films. Many have won awards at both domestic and international film festivals. He twice received the State Prize—for the films *The Ninth Height* (1976) and *We Do Not Surrender, We March On* (1983). He was awarded the Order of Friendship and the Order of Cambodia—the latter presented personally by King Norodom Sihanouk, who was an honorary guest at the "Message to Man" film festival. No one can tell the story of the festival—to which Mikhail Sergeyevich Litvyakov devoted over twenty years of his life, perhaps at the cost of his own creative work, family time, and personal peace—better than he can himself: "When *Perestroika* began, there was an explosion of documentary filmmaking. It responded to the changes sweeping the country even sooner than feature films did. That was when the idea emerged to separate the documentary section from the Moscow Film Festival and transform it into an independent festival dedicated to non-fiction cinema. The USSR Union of Cinematographers organized a series of planning workshops involving representatives from fourteen cities across various republics. My proposal won, and I was officially appointed General Director of the International Non-Fiction Film Festival in Leningrad—an event for which I found a motto in the Bible." "After reading the *Epistle to the Romans* and the *Epistle to the Corinthians*, I realized that our festival had to be a 'Message to Man'—a message addressed to the individual."
From his youth, Mikhail Litvyakov was a veritable ball of energy; he had enough drive for filmmaking, civic engagement, mentoring students, and running the film festival. Even at 75, he cannot sit still—his dynamic nature demands an active life and involvement in creative and festival-related endeavors. Although he has stepped down from the leadership of "Message to Man," Mikhail Sergeyevich remains deeply devoted to his brainchild, taking a keen interest in all its challenges and, of course, doing his best to help.
Source: IFF Message to Man
