Victor Ginzburg

Born in Moscow, raised in New York and making Venice Beach his home, Victor Ginzburg got his start directing short films, music videos and commercials, while still attending the School of Visual Arts in NY. In 1991, when the Soviet Union opened it's borders, Ginzburg traveled back to his birthplace to film an underground documentary about counterculture and the sexual revolution taking place during the waning days of the Soviet empire. "The Restless Garden" captured a unique moment in history - the power of free will, expressed through eroticism, but behind these bright new freedoms were clear signs of a darker future ahead. "The Restless Garden" premiered at the Amsterdam Documentary Film Festival, participated in numerous international festivals and was released theatrically on the US art-house circuit. Perhaps Ginzburg is best known for the film "Generation P," which he directed, co-wrote and produced. "Generation P" achieved both commercial and cult status in Russia, as well as international festival recognition, including Toronto IFF, New Directors/New Films at Lincoln Center, Special Jury Mention at Karlovy Vary IFF, FIPRESCI Prize at Sofia IFF and Best Foreign Film nomination at Palm Springs IFF. The film spans the post-revolutionary decade of the 90s in Moscow, the era of capitalism gone wild. Babylen Tatarsky, a young intellectual from the old USSR regime, wakes up in a new country and soon finds himself working for an advertising agency - promoting Western "icon" brands by adapting them to the "Russian mentality." We witness the rise of Tatarsky to the pinnacle of power of the new Russia, including the creation of Putin-like virtual President. Upon it's US release in 2012 The Wall Street Journal called it "One of the year's true cinematic sleepers...a cultural firebomb.'; The New York Times "...a brave, head-spinning commentary on the potency of advertising and the seduction of the soul.." and The Huffington Post placed it among the "10 Best Movies of 2012." In 2022 Ginzburg completed "Empire V," which he wrote and directed, an epic adaptation of the bestselling novel by Victor Pelevin, a pitch black satire of contemporary Russia and it's power elite. "Empire V" charts the path of an average young man challenged by a Faustian gift of power and knowledge when he is inducted into an elite super-race of vampires. But these vampires don't need blood to survive. Instead, they feed on humanity in a much more fundamental and brutal way. After millions of views of it's trailers "Empire V" became one of the most anticipated wide theatrical releases by Sony Pictures Russia. However, immediately following the Press Screening on March 23, 2022, one week before the release on 1800 screens, the film was banned for political reasons. Only a few of the 180 journalists present at the Press Screening were able to publish their reviews of the film, so eagerly awaited by the Russian audiences to this day. To be continued...