Sergei Yutkevich - Overview

Sergei Iosifovich Yutkevich was a Soviet film director and screenwriter.

Sergei Yutkevich began work as a teen doing puppet shows. Between 1921 and 1923 he studied under Vsevolod Meyerhold. He later helped found the Factory of the Eccentric Actor (FEKS), which was primarily concerned with circus and music hall acts. He entered films in the 1920s and began directing in 1928. His films often were cheerier than most Russian films as he was influenced by American slapstick, among other things. However he also did serious historical films, docudramas, and biopics.

He won Cannes's Best Director Award twice: for Othello in 1956 and for Lenin in Poland in 1966. Of his later films Lenin in Paris is among the best known.