Born in 1959 in Sverdlovsk, Alexey Balabanov graduated from the translation faculty of the Gorky Pedagogical University. From 1983 to 1987 he worked as an assistant director at the Sverdlovsk Film Studio. In 1990, Alexey graduated from the advanced course for scriptwriters and directors, where he took part in the experimental auteur cinema course. In 1991 he wrote and directed his first feature Happy Days. In 1992, together with producers Sergei Selyanov and Viktor Grigoryev, Alexey co-founded the CTB Film Company. CTB has produced almost all of his films to this day.
The Asia Pacific Screen Academy expresses its respect for and acknowledgement of the South East Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We pay our respects to the Traditional Owners of country, including the custodial communities on whose land works are created and celebrated by the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. We acknowledge the continuing connection to land, waters and communities. We also pay our respects to Elders, past and present. We recognise the integral role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and First Nations peoples continue to play in storytelling and celebration spaces.
