Alexander Sokurov, member of the KBSU Board of Trustees, is 70!

Congratulations on the 70th birthday of Alexander Nikolaevich Sokurov — film director, screenwriter, People’s Artist of the Russian Federation, member of the KBSU Board of Trustees!

Alexander Sokurov, film director, screenwriter, People’s Artist of the Russian Federation, member of the Board of Trustees of the KBSU:

«Universities are the personification of the sustainability of the state»

“For me, the university is not an alien space — for several years I headed the department of film and television directing at the Institute of History, Philology and Mass Media. Once started continues now, this is part of my life, I am extremely interested in the development of the university …

Twelve graduates of my directing course at KBSU have done excellent theses, many of which are known all over the world. But I was faced with the fact that young people living in Kabardino-Balkaria do not speak their native language sufficiently and cannot make films in Kabardian or Balkar. Therefore, the development of national linguistic culture, humanitarian departments of KBSU, including linguistic, literary, historical, is a priority for me …

In 2013, we organized in St. Petersburg a non-profit fund for the support of cinema «Intonation Example», which is the only studio in Russia specializing in filming film debuts. Thanks to this, the graduates of the KBSU directing workshop received the practice of filming feature films in the Northern capital. I would like to express special gratitude to the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, by whose order in the summer of 2020 the fund received serious support.

With the assistance of the Kabardino-Balkarian State University, the head of the university, Yuri Altudov, two feature films were shot, directed by Oleg Khamokov and Tina Mastafova. I would very much like business circles and the leadership of Kabardino-Balkaria to provide assistance in the production of cinematographic works along with the largest university in the region.

… It is necessary to establish the volume of student and teaching exchange, due to which we will be able to improve the work of departments at KBSU and expand the idea of ​​young people about what other university systems and collectives exist in our large country. The question is not only that students and teachers from Kabardino-Balkaria and other constituent entities of the Russian Federation come to the capital’s universities, but also that leading employees of the humanitarian departments of St. Petersburg or Moscow universities regularly travel to the regions with courses of lectures …

It is important to convey to everyone the understanding that Russia is a single federal state, where there is a unified system of education quality and each accredited university issues state diplomas. It is necessary to work on the quality of the educational process through constant exchanges, to establish Internet communication by broadcasting lecture courses — the modern equipment of the capital and regional universities makes it possible to combine university platforms, enables students from regional universities to listen to lectures by prominent scientists, including those on the history of Russia, natural science, art …

I hope that the cultural and educational center «Hermitage — Caucasus», which is being created within the framework of an agreement signed by the Director General of the State Hermitage Museum Mikhail Piotrovsky and the head of the KBSU Yuri Altdov, will have serious, meaningful exhibitions. Along with the demonstration of the Hermitage exhibits, we can organize exhibitions of works of fine art from the funds of the Russian Ethnographic Museum, the Russian Museum and other institutions. This should be a large-scale platform for constant cultural exchange, where at least ten exhibitions aimed at the younger generation will be organized during the year.

We all understand very well that in the current situation, it is the state educational institutions that are responsible for the meaningful life of young people, for the prospect of their interaction with the state. Universities are the personification of the stability of the state, the purposefulness of work with the young generation of Russians.»

From a speech at a meeting of the KBSU Board of Trustees,

december 2020