16th May 2010
ANIMATED WORLDS presents The Films of Yuri Norstein

Yuri Norstein (born September 15th, 1941)is an award winning Russian animator best known for his shorts ‘Hedgehog in the Fog’ and ‘Tale of Tales’. He originally trained as a cabinet maker and painted as a hobby. He joined Soyusmultfilm, the USSR’s largest film studio, in 1961 to learn animation.

Norstein’s work is lyrical and non-linear evoking a sense of mystery and nostalgia, something the director himself refers to as visual memory. Dealing with childrens’ subjects and nursery rhymes, his complicated and sad films are more for an adult audience reflecting on their youth rather than for children. working with small, largely uncredited production team, he is generally assisted by his wife, Francesca Yarbusova, cameraman Alexander Zhukovsky and composer M.Meerovich. After leaving Soyusmultfilm in 1986, Norstein has been working on a film based on Gogol’s ‘The Overcoat’, funding it’s production through the sale of his drawings and through teaching.

The 8th episode of Animated worlds will include the screening of all of Yuri Norstein’s films to date. Animation filmmaker Martin Pickles will be present to introduce the audience to the life and works of Yuri Norstein.

For information on Martin Pickles go to: www.martinpickles.com