Valeria Gai Germanika: biography and films with her participation

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Valeria Gai Germanika - film director, actress and TV presenter - was born in Moscow in 1984. The real full name of the actress is Valeria Igorevna Dudinskaya. An unusual pseudonym for her beloved granddaughter was invented by her grandmother, a passionate admirer of the work of Raffaello Giovagnoli. Impressed by the novel "Spartacus", the eldest Dudinskaya offered her granddaughter the name Valeria Gai and the surname Germanicus, which was enthusiastically accepted by the girl.

First film work

After graduating from high school, Valeria entered the Internews courses, where she began to study film production under the guidance of the famous documentary filmmaker Marina Razbezhkina. Having qualified as a cameraman, Germanika began her career at one of the semi-underground film studios, where she, according to her own words, worked as a cameraman, making pornographic films. The girl applied her directorial abilities in 2005, creating a short, lasting only 17 minutes, film called "Sisters". Another film "Girls", also filmed in 2005, has already taken 45 minutes of screen time.

The first films of Valeria Gai Germanika tell about the mostordinary girls living in the Moscow courtyard, who will soon have to start an independent life. "Girls" was included in the program of the film festival "Kinotavr", where the film was awarded as the best short film. In addition, the film was shown at the 59th Cannes Film Festival. Valeria Gai Germanika, whose series became the subject of discussion for a multi-million audience of Russian viewers, has already shown herself as a talented director.

Directorial debut

Valeria's next notable work was a 2007 film en titled "Infanta's Birthday", which also took part in the Kinotavr competition. A picture about a group of young people who came up with their own special world. In 2008, Valeria Gai Germanika, whose biography already contained several bright pages, shot her next shocking film (this time full-length), which was called "Everyone will die, but I will stay." The picture was a success, it was shown as part of the Golden Camera competition at the Cannes Film Festival. The film did not receive the main prizes, but was awarded a "Special Mention", awarded a diploma of the "White Elephant" award and the "Nika" award as the best full-length debut work. The film is built, like other paintings by Valeria Gai Germanika, on the relationship of teenagers. The plot again focuses on three girls who are preoccupied with simple problems: how to get a drink, get into a disco and meet some interesting guy.

School

In 2008, Valeria Gai Germanika took part in the "Cinema Without Film" competition, which screened films in digital format. The actress was a member of the jury, she did not submit her works for the competition. The following year, Valeria participated in the musical project of a group of rappers from St. Petersburg "Trash-Chapiteau Kach", which at that time was working on the creation of the album "Dear!". In the same year, the First Channel of Russian television opened the project "School" - a series by Valeria Gai Germanika, telling about the life of high school students. The film, shown in January 2010, was ambiguously received by the public. He caused numerous debates in society. At the same time, the director of the film, Valeria Gai Germanika, became widely known thanks to "School".

"School" filmed at a school

The series consists of 69 episodes, which were filmed in stages in an ordinary Moscow school number 945 on Orekhovy Boulevard, Krasnogvardeyskaya metro station. The characters of the film are high school students, boys and girls aged 14-16, who live their everyday school life. The main characters of the series were played by young graduates of theater studios, VGIK and Shchepkin VTU. Filming was carried out in the complete absence of scenery, without the use of stationary cameras, all episodes were filmed with a portable camera "from the shoulder". There was no musical accompaniment, music sounded only if it was provided for by the script.

"School" is permeated with all those youth problems that are the backdrop of modern teenager life. The young actors practically played themselves, since most recently they all went to the same school, lived the same worries, dreamed of good grades.

The series "School" came two actresses who played in the film "Everyone will die, but I'll stay." These are Valentina Lukashchuk and Yulia Aleksandrova. Many other actors involved in the series "School" a year later will take part in another series of Gaius Germanicus called "A Short Course in a Happy Life". Valeria somehow organized a close-knit team of actors and actresses on her own, which is able to play any number of roles, acting as a united, multi-faceted front.

A Short Course in a Happy Life

The whole of 2011 passed for Valeria under the sign of a new series called "A Short Course in a Happy Life". Once again, there are many characters in the frame, each of which has his own life, aspirations, aspirations, dreams. The script was written by Anna Kozlova, who complained more than once about the plot changes (sometimes radical) that Gaius Germanicus made right on the set. At the same time, Anna admitted that the scenes only improved from the unceremonious intervention of the director. Characteristically, without exception, all the actors involved in the series welcomed the remarks during filming. And the point was not that the script was weak, but simply that the creative Germanicus found new, more interesting solutions. Lera herself also played inseries, she played the role of the Fortune Teller.

Khakamada and Sobchak

"A Short Course in a Happy Life" was completed in 16 episodes, although the general director of Channel One Konstantin Ernst, who acted as the producer of the project, assumed 69 episodes (by analogy with the sensational "School"). However, the series turned out to be much smaller due to the completely different specifics of what is happening on the screen. The series "A Short Course in a Happy Life" has something in common with the American version of "Sex and the City", there are also four main characters, the plot is similar in some individual episodes. The four main roles in the Russian series were played by Svetlana Khodchenkova, Alisa Khazanova, Anna Slyu and Ksenia Gromova. In addition, in order to increase the popularity of the film, Valeria Gai Germanika invited several famous people to participate in the series. Irina Khakamada, Ksenia Sobchak, Lera Kudryavtseva, musician Roma Zver and other famous personalities responded to the offer to participate in the filming.

Reviews and opinions

The series has a huge number of soundtracks, and of a very different nature, starting with lyrical songs performed by Eva Polna and ending with outrageous numbers by Sergei Shnurov. There was also a place for Mendelssohn's Wedding March. In total, there are 86 musical inserts, which is a kind of record. Viewers' opinions were divided. Some accepted the "Short Course" with enthusiasm, while others spoke extremely negatively. Of course, such a range of opinions - from rave reviews tocomplete rejection is evidence of a certain artistic value of the production. As for a wider opportunity to get acquainted with the work of the director, at present, you can watch all the films of Valeria Gai Germanika online on the Internet.

Private life

The personal life of the popular director Valeria Gai Germanika is not very diverse, all the time is spent on creative projects. And what still happens outside the shooting pavilions is shrouded in mystery and is under the heading of secrecy. But one of the most important episodes in Lera's personal life was impossible to hide. On March 13, 2008, the whole country learned that Gaius Germanicus had given birth to a daughter, who was given the rare name Octavia.