Victor Ginzburg's life and career have been marked by a distinctive blend of artistic vision, cultural insight, and bold storytelling. Born in Moscow, he was raised in New York and later made Venice Beach his home. As a young filmmaker, Ginzburg directed a range of projects, including short films, music videos, and commercials, even while attending the prestigious School of Visual Arts in New York.
In 1991, Ginzburg seized the opportunity to travel back to his birthplace in Moscow, where he filmed an underground documentary about the counterculture and sexual revolution that was taking place during the waning days of the Soviet empire. This groundbreaking film, titled "The Restless Garden," captured a unique moment in history and premiered at the Amsterdam Documentary Film Festival.
Ginzburg's most famous film, "Generation P," achieved both commercial and cult status in Russia, as well as international festival recognition. This critically acclaimed film explores the post-revolutionary decade of the 1990s in Moscow, where capitalism was rampant and the old Soviet regime was struggling to adapt. The film follows the rise of Babylen Tatarsky, a young intellectual who wakes up in a new country and finds himself working for an advertising agency, promoting Western brands to the Russian market.
Upon its US release in 2012, "Generation P" received widespread critical acclaim, with The Wall Street Journal calling it "One of the year's true cinematic sleepers...a cultural firebomb," while The New York Times praised it as "a brave, head-spinning commentary on the potency of advertising and the seduction of the soul." The Huffington Post even included it among the "10 Best Movies of 2012."
In 2022, Ginzburg completed his latest film, "Empire V," an epic adaptation of the bestselling novel by Victor Pelevin. This pitch-black satire of contemporary Russia and its power elite charts the path of an average young man who is inducted into an elite group of vampires that feed on humanity in a brutal and fundamental way. With millions of views of its trailers, "Empire V" became one of the most anticipated wide theatrical releases by Sony Pictures Russia.
However, just one week before its release, the film was banned for political reasons, leaving only a handful of journalists who attended the press screening able to publish their reviews. Despite this setback, "Empire V" remains eagerly anticipated by Russian audiences, who are still waiting to see this bold and thought-provoking film on the big screen.
