Andrey Zvyagintsev was born in 1964. In 1984 he graduated from the Novosibirsk theatrical school before training as an actor in 1990. He worked as an actor for independent theatrical projects and performed various guest roles in television series and movies. Zvyagintsev began his directorial debut in 2000. His 2011 film 'Elena' won the Special Jury prize in the category Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival.