Mikhail Segal

Russian film director, screenwriter, and writer, born in Oryol, Russia. He began his career in the late 1990s and early 2000s, directing around 50 music videos for leading Russian rock and rap musicians, as well as numerous commercials for international brands such as Audi, Mitsubishi, Pepsi, LG, Panasonic, McDonald's, and IKEA, among others. His debut feature film, the war drama Franz + Polina (2006), received international acclaim at festivals in France, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, Poland, China, and elsewhere. Following this, Segal wrote screenplays for and directed four award-winning feature films, which were screened at film festivals across Europe, Canada, the USA, and Asia. His films-Short Stories (2012), A Film About Alexeev (2014), Elephants Can Play Football (2018), and Deeper! (2020)-reflect the diversity of his creative style, ranging from existential drama to absurdist comedy and satire. He also composed the music for several of his films. Additionally, Segal has published five collections of prose and is known as a poet and singer-songwriter.