Ruslan Korostenskij
Ruslan Korostenskij (born 1975) is a cinematographer of Ukrainian-Polish descent based in Lithuania. His lineage is traced back to the late 13th century and originates from a noble Polish family.
Early career
Korostenskij started his professional career in the late 1990s, the time of unprecedented growth of video production in Lithuania. His early works comprised music videos for best Lithuanian performers, including Atlanta, Amberlife, B’avaria, Delfinai, Dinamika, Juozas Erlickas, Geltona, Gytis Paškevičius, Kastaneda, Kupe, Liberte, Mango, Pikaso, Spički, and Jurgita Tvarijonaitė. Most of Korostenskij’s videos have become the classic of the Lithuanian music video industry and have been subsequently replicated by other music video directors. In 2002, Korostenskij won the Best Director and Best Camerawork Prizes for his music video “Baltas laiškas” (“The White Letter”) by LNK, Lithuanian TV Channel. This event marked the young director’s transition into the commercials sphere where he soon came to be acknowledged as one of top five commercials directors in the Baltic States. Korostenskij shot commercials for leading Lithuanian and European brand names including Omnitel, Tele2, RIMI, Viči, Maxima, VST, Statoil, Rasa, Respublika, Vakarų ekspresas, Walmark, and TransOil.
Filmmaking
Korostenskij has produced around 10 short films, of which The Light of Your Heart („Tavo veido šviesa“), based on a story by Antanas Vaičiulaitis, has garnered critical acclaim both in and beyond Lithuania, winning in all three nominations at the Baku International Audio-Visual Film Festival in Azerbaijan (2003): the Best Director, the Best Producer, and the Best Audio-Vidual Work.
Korostenskij later moved into the full-feature film format. In 2013, he debuted with The Woman Sun, which was immediately screened at Andrey Tarkovsky‘s Film Festival „Zerkalo“, Russia, European Film Forum Cinergia, Poland, and won the World Premiere Feature Film Prize at the Avanca International Film Festival, Portugal. Korostenskij is currently considered by Russian film professionals the leading Lithuanian filmmaker combining in himself the best traditions of Russian and Ukrainian cinematography, intertwined with the Baltic reservedness and laconicity. Korostenskij‘s refined talent in the sphere of visual portrayal were first noticed at the most prestigious European professional community gathering in Berlin, Berlinale. Korostenskij has the exclusive right of representing Lithuanian cinematography at Russian film markets.
Shooting style
One of the most distinct features of Korostenskij’s approach to filmmaking is his skeptical attitude to writing scripts. After a dazzling career in commercials industry, Korostenskij had led to perfection his unique talent at storyboard development and, along his awareness of the general idea of the film, this is the only true material he takes with himself to the shooting location. Korostenskij is known for providing his actors with only basic guidelines of the scene he is going to shoot and texts are handed out one or two days in advance, if at all. Korostenskij largely relies on his exceptional intuition and the natural inclinations of his actors. As one film critic has remarked, “In his films, Ruslan Korostenskij manages to capture and portray the best of what his actors can only aspire to in real life”.
According to best cinematographers of the time, Yuriy Norshteyn, Federico Fellini, and Wong Kar-wai among them, this manner is only characteristic of people who have classical painting skills and expertise in the sphere of the best laws of the golden ratio.
Filmography
Unless mentioned otherwise, Korostenskij is the author of script, camera, directing.
Kavkaz (2014) feature film.
The Woman Sun (2013) feature film.
The White Snow (2011), animation film.
Masha and Misha (Masha and the Bear) (2010), animation film.
Dynasty (2009), documentary film.
We Heard Her Say Mother (2009). short feature film.
Airan: the Paths of Gods (2004). short feature film.
Refresh (2004), a joint Lithuanian-Latvian TV series, director
Kyiv: the Independence Square (2005) documentary film.
The Light of Your Heart (2003), short feature film.
Where Does Motherland Begin? (2003) documentary film.
The Sun (2002), short feature film.
Sumati (2000), short feature film.
Kossacks and the Death (2000), short film series.
The Storm (1999), short feature film.
The Fox (1998), short feature film.
References
External links
- Official website
- Lithuanian Filmmakers Union
- Lithuanian Film Centre
- Selected paintings at YouTube
- The Battle of Grunwald at YouTube