A young man of just 22, dressed in a black beret and a dark narrow suit, is on an airplane flying from St Petersburg to Paris. It is 1961 and Rudolf Nureyev, not yet the imperious figure of legend, is a member of the world-renowned Kirov Ballet Company, travelling for the first time outside the Soviet Union.
Parisian life delights Nureyev and the young dancer is eager to consume all the culture, art and music the dazzling city has to offer. But the KGB officers who watch his every move become increasingly suspicious of his behavior and his friendship with the young Parisienne Clara Saint.
When they finally confront Nureyev with a shocking demand, he is forced to make a heart-breaking decision, one that may change the course of his life forever and put his family and friends in terrible danger.
From Nureyev’s poverty-stricken childhood in the Soviet city of Ufa, to his blossoming as a student dancer in Leningrad, to his arrival at the epicentre of western culture in Paris in the early 1960s and a nail-biting stand-off at the Le Bourget airport, “THE WHITE CROW” is the true story of an incredible journey by a unique artist who transformed the world of ballet forever.
Oleg Ivenko (Rudolf Nureyev) is an accomplished ballet dancer. Born in Ukraine he studied for 10 years at the Kharkov Choreography School (1996-2006) before moving to the Belarusian State Choreography College for four years. Since 2010 Oleg has been a member of the Musa Dzhalil Tatar State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre Company.
Oleg’s repertoire of roles includes Basil in DON QUIXOTE, Solor in LA BAYADERE, Colin and Alain in FUTILE PRECAUTION, Shurale in SHURALE, Jester and Neapolitan Dance in SWAN LAKE, Prince, Harlequin and Chinese Dance in THE NUTCRACKER, Happy Dwarf in SNOW WHITE, Blue Bird in SLEEPING BEAUTY, Mercutio and Benvolio in ROMEO AND JULIET, Conrad Ali in LE CORSAIRE, Franc and Friends in COPPELIA, Nuradin in GOLDEN HORSE, Student in ANYUTA, Pierre Gringoire and Akteon in LA ESMERALDA.
Oleg’s career as a ballet dancer has awarded him critical acclaim, winning several international competitions across both ballet and theatre. In 2010, he participated in the 5th International Festival of Choreographic Colleges and Schools in Kazan and received diplomas at the International Competition in Varna and the International Competition of Ballet Dancers in Arabesque. In 2012, Oleg took part in Russia Culture’s TV competition show The Big Ballet, showcasing the best seven Russian ballet couples from the country’s leading theatres. That year, he was also a prize winner at the 12th International Ballet Dancers’ Competition and Special Prize winner at the Union of Theatre Workers of The Russian Federation.
One of the most important annual events in the world of ballet is the Yuri Grigorovich International Competition - Young Ballet of the World and Oleg has won twice, first in 2012 as an II Prize winner and again in 2014 as a Grand Prize winner. In 2012 Oleg won the Prize Winner of the Krasnoyarsk International Ballet Competition Grand Prix of Siberia. And in 2016 he was the Prize Winner of the IX Korean International Ballet Competition.
Adèle Exarchopoulos (Clara Saint) is a French actress whose career began in 2005 when she starred as the lead role in MARTHA, a short film by Jean-Charles Hue. At the age of 13 she had a role alongside John Hurt in Jean Birkin’s BOXES, which screened in Un Certain Regard at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.
As her career began to take off she appeared in a number of films including LES ENFANTS DE TIMPLEBACH by Nicolas Bary, CHEZ GINO by Samuel Benchetrit, TURK’S HEAD by Pascal Elbé, THE ROUND UP by Rose Bosch, CARRÉ BLANC by Jean-Baptiste Leonetti and DES MORCEAUX DE MOI by Nolwenn Lemesle.
In 2013 Adèle landed the lead role in the Palme d’Or winner BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOUR. She accepted the award at the 66th Cannes Film Festival alongside director Abdellatif Kechiche and actress Léa Seydoux becoming the youngest person in history to receive the award. Adèle and the film received international attention and critical acclaim as a coming–of- age love story. As the film entered multiple film festivals and launched into award season, Adèle went on to win the César Award for Most Promising Actress and the Trophée Chopard for Female Revelation of the Year.
Adèle became a regular attendee on the international film festival circuit with projects such as I USED TO BE DARKER by Matthew Porterfield which screened at Sundance, INSECURE by Marianne Tardieu, which was part of the ACID section at the Cannes Film Festival, THE ANARCHISTS by Elie Wajeman, which screened during Critics’ Week at the Cannes Film Festival the following year, ORPHAN by Arnaud De Pallières, which showed at both Toronto and San Sebastian international film festivals, and RACER AND THE JAILBIRD by Michaël R. Roskam, which screened at the Venice International Film Festival.
Raphaël Personnaz (Pierre Lacotte) studied at the Conservatoire du XXème arrondissement in Paris before beginning his career on TV in the late 1990s. He first appeared on the big screen in 2000 in Pierre-Olivier Scotto's LE ROMAN DE LULU. He then starred in multiple roles including Sam Karmann's À LA PETITE SEMAINE, LA PREMIÈRE FOIS QUE J’AI EU 20 ANS by Lorraine Lévy, and LA FAUTE À FIDEL by Julie Gavras.
His career took off in 2010 when he played the part of Duc d'Anjou in Bertrand Tavernier’s LA PRINCESSE DE MONTPENSIER, which screened in competition at the Cannes Film Festival.
Raphaël’s stellar performance led to international critical acclaim and he won the Swann d'Or for Male Revelation at the Cabourg Film Festival in 2011 as well as receiving a César nomination for the Rising Star Award. In 2012 he went on to play the role of Al in TROIS MONDES by Catherine Corsini, which screened in Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival, and then in the same year starred as Guillaume in AFTER by Géraldine Maillet.
In 2013, Raphaël played the role of Marius in the TRILOGY OF PAGN: MARIUS, FANNY and CESAR directed by Daniel Auteuil and starred in Bertrand Tavernier’s QUAI D'ORSAY alongside Thierry Lhermitte. After being shortlisted in 2011, Raphaël’s impressive body of work earned him to be the 2013 recipient of the Patrick Dewaere award.
This pivotal moment of his career launched Raphaël to new heights, from playing the part of François Bizot in Régis Wargnier’s LE TEMPS DES AVEUX to then collaborating with François Ozon on UNE NOUVELLE AMIE before playing Franck Magne in Frédéric Tellier’s L'AFFAIRE SK1. During the same period, 2014-2015, he could be seen at the Hébertot theatre for the CARTE DU POUVOIR directed by Ladislas Chollat.
In 2016 he filmed IN THE FORESTS OF SIBERIA adapted from Sylvain Tesson's book and directed by Safy Nebbou.
Ongoing theatre projects include SCÈNES DE LA VIE CONJUGALE staged by Safy Nebbou and VOUS N’AUREZ PAS MA HAINE, staged by Benjamin Guillard, for which he won the Molière for Best Actor in a Monologue in 2018.
Chulpan Khamatova (Xenia Iosifovna Pushkin) was born in 1975 in Kazan, Tatar ASSR, in what was then the Soviet Union. She studied at the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts under Alexei Borodin.
Chulpan performed on the stages of several Moscow theatres, including the Russian Academic Youth Theater (Dunya Raskolnikova in CRIME AND PUNISHMENT and Anne Frank in ANNE FRANK'S DIARY), the Theater of the Moon, the Anton Chekhov Theater (Katya in POSE OF THE IMMIGRANT), the Open Theater Julia Malakyants (SILVIA).
In 1998 she was invited to join the troupe of the Moscow Sovremennik Theatre. She debuted in the role of Patricia Holman in THREE COMRADES. She also starred on stage in THREE SISTERS (Irina), MAMAPAPASYNSOBAKA (Andria), THE STORM (Katerina), THE NAKED PIONEER (Masha Mukhina) and ANTHONY AND CLEOPATRA (Cleopatra), as well as the role of Masha in the new version of the play THREE SISTERS.
In 2008, Chulpan appeared in STORIES OF SHUKSHIN at the Theatre of Nations, in nine of 10 stories. In cinema, Khamatova started acting during the third year at the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts, when Vadim Abdrashitov asked her to play Katya in the film THE TIME OF THE DANCER.
Chulpan Khamatova is one of contemporary Russia's most celebrated actresses in theatre and cinema, People's Artist of Russia and a two-time laureate of the State Prize of the Russian Federation. Chulpan has played over 50 roles in Russian and European cinema, with the awardwinning German production GOODBYE LENIN! bringing her international recognition in 2003.
Chulpan is the leading actress and deputy artist director of the Moscow Academic Theatre Sovremennik, and actress of the Theatre of Nations and Gogol Centre.
Sergei Polunin (Yuri Soloviev) trained at the Kyiv State Choreographic School, before joining the Royal Ballet School aged 13 on a scholarship from the Rudolf Nureyev Foundation. He became a first soloist at the Royal Ballet in 2009 and was promoted to Principal in 2010, aged 19. Sergei left the Royal Ballet in 2012 to dance as a Principal for the Stanislavsky and NemirovichDanchenko Moscow Music Theatre and as Guest Soloist with the Novosibirsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre.
His Royal Ballet roles included DANCES AT A GATHERING and RHAPSODY, Solor and Bronze Idol (LA BAYADÈRE), Des Grieux (MANON), Hans-Peter/Nutcracker and the Prince (THE NUTCRACKER), Prince Florimund (THE SLEEPING BEAUTY), Prince (CINDERELLA) and Lensky (ONEGIN). He created the role of Jack/Knave in Christopher Wheeldon’s ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND and returned to the Company as a guest artist in 2013 to dance Armand (MARGUERITE AND ARMAND) with Tamara Rojo. In 2011 he danced the Slave Master at the PHANTOM OF THE OPERA 25th Anniversary performances at the Royal Albert Hall. Roles with the Stanislavsky Ballet included Prince Siegfried (SWAN LAKE), Albrecht (GISELLE), Frantz (COPPÉLIA), Basil (DON QUIXOTE), Solor and Crown Prince Rudolf (MAYERLING).
In December 2017, Sergei returned to the London Coliseum with Project Polunin presenting SATORI, a mixed multimedia dance program. These performances featured FIRST SOLO, a new short ballet starring Sergei and created by award-winning choreographer Andrey Kaydanovskiy, SCRIABINIANA, the London premiere of Kasyan Goleizovsky’s ballet suite, and concluding with the world premiere of SATORI, choreographed by Sergei and directed by Gabriel Marcel del Vecchio with an original score by multi-award-winning composer Lorenz Dangel. Sergei has performed in two music videos directed by David La Chapelle - THERE MUST BE MORE TO LIFE THAN THIS (Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson) and Hozier’s TAKE ME TO CHURCH (over 23 million views on YouTube). His short film credits include CAN I MAKE THE MUSIC FLY? directed by Bruce Weber for Dior. Sergei is the subject of 2017 biographical documentary, DANCER, produced by Gabrielle Tana and directed by Steven Cantor.
Sergei’s film credits include RED SPARROW, MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS and THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS.
His awards include the Prix de Lausanne, the Sixth Lifar International Ballet Competition, Young British Dancer of the Year, the Youth America Grand Prix, Critics’ Circle Outstanding Male Performance (Classical and Rising Star) and nominations for Critics’ Circle Best Male Dancer and a Golden Mask.
Daughter of the legendary 80’s duo Elli & Jacno, Calypso Valois (Claire Mott) is a French actress, singer and songwriter. Passionate about art in all its many forms, Calypso Valois originally started her artistic career as an actress. After taking acting classes in Paris, she quickly got to work with prominent and high profile film directors such as Olivier Assayas on SOMETHING IN THE AIR and PERSONAL SHOPPER, Michel Gondry on MOOD INDIGO and Catherine Corsini on SUMMERTIME.
In addition to her on-screen work, Calypso is known for her music career. Following an early duet with the iconic French singer Etienne Daho and EPs with her band Cinema, more recently she released her debut solo album CANNIBALE, which received rave reviews and made her one of the new leading figures of the French electro-pop scene.
This year, Calypso filmed the highly anticipated TV series adaptation of VERNON SUBUTEX, based on Virginie Despentes’ bestselling novel. Commissioned by French channel Canal Plus, the series will see her star alongside Romain Duris and Céline Sallette.
Louis Hofmann (Teja Kremke) was born in 1997 in Cologne, Germany. He began acting from the age of nine and received the Best Young Talent New Faces Award in 2012 for his lead role in the German-language adaptation of the classic Mark Twain novel THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER, directed by Hermine Huntgeburth. He reprised the role in the 2012 sequel THE ADVENTURES OF HUCK FINN. In 2013 he appeared in Vanessa Jopp’s comedy A NEARLY PERFECT MAN.
His role as Wolfgang in the 2015 film SANCTUARY directed by Marc Brummund earned him the 2015 Bavarian Film Prize for Best Newcomer and the 2016 German Actors’ Award in the newcomer category. His first international role as a German prisoner of war in the Oscar nominated Danish-German coproduction LAND OF MINE earned him the Best Supporting Actor prize at Denmark's Bodil Awards in 2016. That same year he received the Special Jaeger-LeCoultre Award at the German Film Prize.
In 2016 Louis played Phil in THE CENTRE OF MY WORLD, a coming-of-age romantic drama directed by Jakob M. Erwa and was cast as Jonas Kahnwald in Baran bo Odar’s DARK, the first German series to be made by Netflix, which was released December 2017. He was honored with a European Shooting Stars Award at the Berlinale 2017.
Olivier Rabourdin (Gregory Alixinsky) is a theatre, TV and film actor. Born in 1959 Olivier began his career as a fisherman in the 1985 in the film THE SATIN SLIPPER, directed by Manoel de Oliveira and winner of the Sergio Trasatti Award at the Venice Film Festival. In 1999 Olivier accepted a role in Luc Besson’s THE MESSENGER: THE STORY OF JOAN OF ARC.
As Olivier’s career progressed he starred in a number of French language films including 2017’s ACTRESSES by Valerie Bruni Tedeschi, presented as part of the official selection at the 60th Cannes Film Festival and winner of the Prix Spécial du Jury Award in the Un Certain Regard section. Olivier was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the César Awards for his portrayal of Christophe in the 2010 film OF GODS OF MEN directed by Xavier Beauvois, Grand Prix of the Cannes Film Festival in the official selection. He was the lead character in Robin Campillo’s EASTERN BOYS, winner of the Orizonti price in the 70th Mostra of Venezia and of the International Film Festival of Santa Barbara 2014. He also played Abel Daedalus in Arnaud Desplechin’s TROIS SOUVENIRS DE MA JEUNESSE, a Directors' Fortnight SACD prize winner at the Cannes Film Festival 2015.
Olivier’s first English language part came in the role of Jean-Claude in Pierre Morel’s TAKEN, which he later reprised in TAKEN 2 by Olivier Megaton. Further notable film credits include playing Paul Gauguin in Woody Allen’s Academy Award® winning MIDNIGHT IN PARIS and starring alongside Nicole Kidman and Tim Roth in Olivier Dahan’s GRACE OF MONACO. Olivier’s TV credits include ROSEMARY’S BABY, starring alongside John Hurt in THE LAST PANTHERS, playing the lead character in the French series GUYANE, and FORGIVING EARTH by Hugo Blick.
Ralph Fiennes made his feature film debut as Heathcliff in WUTHERING HEIGHTS in 1992. His film credits include SCHINDLER’S LIST, THE ENGLISH PATIENT, THE CONSTANT GARDENER, THE END OF THE AFFAIR, THE READER, QUIZ SHOW, OSCAR AND LUCINDA, ONEGIN, SPIDER, SUNSHINE, STRANGE DAYS and THE HURT LOCKER. He played Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter series and the role of 'M' in SKYFALL and SPECTRE. Fiennes’ most recent film credits include, HOLMES AND WATSON, THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL, A BIGGER SPLASH, KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS, HAIL CAESAR! and THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE. He has completed filming OFFICIAL SECRETS with Keira Knightley. Fiennes made his feature film directorial debut in 2011 with CORIOLANUS in which he also starred in the title role. In 2013 he directed and starred in THE INVISIBLE WOMAN.
His television work includes David Hare’s trilogy PAGE EIGHT, TURKS & CAICOS and SALTING THE BATTLEFIELD. He played T.E Lawrence in A DANGEROUS MAN: LAWRENCE AFTER ARABIA and appeared in PRIME SUSPECT and REV. Fiennes’ work at the National Theatre includes MAN & SUPERMAN, OEDIPUS, THE TALKING CURE, SIX CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF AN AUTHOR, FATHERS AND SONS and TING TANG MINE. His extensive work at the Royal Shakespeare Company includes TROILUS & CRESSIDA, KING LEAR, LOVE'S LABOUR LOST, Henry VI in THE PLANTAGENETS, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, KING JOHN, THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER and Ibsen’s BRAND which later transferred to the Haymarket Theatre. For the Almeida he has appeared as Richard III, Coriolanus, Ivanov, and Hamlet all directed by Jonathan Kent. HAMLET was presented at The Hackney Empire and then The Belasco Theater on Broadway where Fiennes received the Tony Award for Best Actor. Fiennes returned to Broadway in 2006 and received a Tony Nomination for his role in Brian Friel’s THE FAITH HEALER following a run at The Gate Theatre Dublin.
In 2016 Fiennes played Solness in THE MASTER BUILDER directed by Matthew Warchus at the Old Vic theatre and RICHARD III at the Almeida, for which he received the Evening Standard Best Actor Award. In 2018 Ralph will appear as Antony in ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA at the National Theatre.
Fiennes has been the recipient of many significant awards and nominations for his work on film and in the theatre. He was nominated for Academy Awards®, Golden Globes and BAFTAs for his roles in both THE ENGLISH PATIENT and SCHINDLER’S LIST, winning the BAFTA for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for the latter. He was also nominated for BAFTAs for THE END OF AN AFFAIR and THE CONSTANT GARDENER. He was nominated for the BAFTA for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer for CORIOLANUS. Most recently he was nominated for a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for his leading role in THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL. Fiennes has also been honored with the Variety Award for Film Achievement, The Richard Harris Award by the British Independent Film Awards and The Empire Film Legend Award.
Gabrielle Tana is a film and television producer based in London and New York. She founded Magnolia Mae Films with partner Carolyn Marks Blackwood in 1996.
Prior to forming Magnolia Mae Films, Gabrielle produced Michael Di Jiacomo's ANIMALS, starring Tim Roth, John Turturro and Mickey Rooney, Goran Paskaljevic's SOMEONE ELSE'S AMERICA, starring Tom Conti and Miki Manojlovic, and Nannette Burstein and Brett Morgen's Academy Award®-nominated documentary ON THE ROPES.
Through Magnolia Mae she has previously worked with Ralph Fiennes who directed and starred in both the Academy Award®- nominated THE INVISIBLE WOMAN and the film adaption of CORIOLANUS. Fiennes also starred in the Academy Award®-winning THE DUCHESS, directed by Saul Dibb and starring Keira Knightley.
Also, through Magnolia Mae, she produced PHILOMENA (four Academy Award® nominations, including Best Picture, plus a BAFTA win for Best Adapted Screenplay).
Following their successful collaboration on PHILOMENA, Tana has worked with Baby Cow Films to develop their film slate, and recently as executive producer on two Baby Cow features – MINDHORN and STAN AND OLLIE, starring Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly as legendary comedy duo Laurel and Hardy.
In addition to her work in film, Tana co-founded Project Polunin in 2016 with world famous ballet dancer Sergei Polunin. In 2017, they mounted major productions at the London Coliseum and Sadler’s Wells Theatre. Tana also produced DANCER, a feature documentary portrait of Polunin.
David Hare is a playwright and film-maker. He has written over thirty stage plays, which include PLENTY, PRAVDA (with Howard Brenton), THE SECRET RAPTURE, RACING DEMON, SKYLIGHT, AMY’S VIEW, THE BLUE ROOM, VIA DOLOROSA, STUFF HAPPENS, SOUTH DOWNS, THE ABSENCE OF WAR, THE JUDAS KISS, THE RED BARN and THE MODERATE SOPRANO. For film and television, Hare has written over twenty-five screenplays which include LICKING HITLER, WETHERBY, DAMAGE, THE HOURS, THE READER, DENIAL, and the Worricker Trilogy: PAGE EIGHT, TURKS & CAICOS and SALTING THE BATTLEFIELD.
Most recent work includes the new BBC/Netflix series COLLATERAL and the play I’M NOT RUNNING opens at the National Theatre in October. In 1997 the French government honored him as an Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres, and in 1998 the British knighted him for services to the theatre. In a millennial poll of the greatest plays of the 20th century, five of the top 100 were his
Lizzi Lawson Zeiss is a Make-up and Hair Designer with nearly 20 years’ experience in film and television. Most recently, her work as Hair Supervisor for BLADE RUNNER 2049 resulted in a nomination at the Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Awards.
Previous notable film credits include the Academy award®-nominated TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY, starring Gary Oldman and Colin Firth, THE HUNTSMAN: WINTER’S WAR starring Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Emily Blunt and Jessica Chastain, BEL AMI starring Robert Pattinson and Kristin Scott Thomas, Madonna’s directorial debut W.E., Golden Globe nominated KINKY BOOTS starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, directed by Julian Jarrold and Academy Award® nominated THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.
Zeiss’ most recent work in television includes BBC One’s LOVE, NINA starring Helena Bonham Carter and HUNTED for the BBC, both directed by S.J Clarkson. Other Television credits include FINGERSMITH starring Sally Hawkins for BBC One and THE SHELL SEEKERS starring Vanessa Redgrave.
Anne Seibel is a French production designer. She attended Ecole Spéciale d'Architecture in Paris and has a degree in Architecture. She is the head of the art direction department at the prestigious French film school La Fémis.
Anne began her career working as an Art Director on US productions that filmed abroad in France. Most notably, she worked on Clint Eastwood’s HEREAFTER, Steven Spielberg’s MUNICH, Sophia Coppola’s MARIE ANTOINETTE, and David Frankel’s THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA.
Anne also designed MIDNIGHT IN PARIS for Woody Allen. The film was his most successful in 25 years and Anne was Academy Award®- nominated for Best Achievement in Art Direction. She also designed TO ROME WITH LOVE and MAGIC IN THE MOONLIGHT for Allen.
More recently she has designed Agnieszka Holland’s ROSEMARY'S BABY, Jean Pierre Jeunet's CASANOVA for Amazon, Aditya Chopra's last Bollywood movie BEFIKRE and Eleanor Coppola's first feature film PARIS CAN WAIT.
Johan Kobborg has enjoyed a distinguished career as a principal dancer with the Royal Danish Ballet, the Royal Ballet and as a guest with most major companies around the world. More recently he has distinguished himself as a choreographer with leading companies including the Royal Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, Zurich Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, San Francisco Ballet, Lithuanian National Ballet and Royal New Zealand Ballet.
Johan was born in Copenhagen 1972 and trained at the Funen Ballet Academy before being admitted to the Royal Danish Ballet School in 1988 at the age of 16. He joined the Royal Danish Ballet in 1989, and then the Royal Ballet in 1999 where he joined as a Principal.
Johan left the Royal Ballet in June 2013 after a final performance of MAYERLING to pursue his choreography and freelance performing opportunities. From December 2013 until April 2016 Kobborg was Artistic Director of the Romanian National Ballet.
Commissions for The Royal Ballet have included a production of LA SYLPHIDE in 2005 and a suite of dances for Bournonville's NAPOLI, in 2007. He also staged LA SYLPHIDE for the Bolshoi Ballet, which was telecast around the world in September 2012. In 2012, Johan and Ethan Stiefel also created a new production of GISELLE for the Royal New Zealand Ballet. More recently in 2017 Johan created a brand-new production of DON QUIXOTE for the Leonid Yacobson Ballet in St Petersburg.
As for awards, Johan has won the Dance Critics Circle award for best male dancer and was nominated for two Laurence Olivier Awards in London: one for his Royal Ballet production of LA SYLPHIDE and another for his performance in Fleming Flindt’s THE LESSON. In 2009, his cast for the Bolshoi Ballet production of LA SYLPHIDE was nominated for the Golden Masque Award in Moscow as the best performances of the year. In 2014 his Bucharest production of LA SYLPHIDE received the Performance of the Year award in Romania. In 2013 Queen Margaret of Denmark personally awarded Johan the high honor of the Order of the Dannebrog.
Madeline Fontaine is an award-winning French costume designer, internationally known for her work in film and television.
In 2016, the critically acclaimed JACKIE gave Madeline her first Academy Award® nomination and she won the BAFTA Award for Best Costume Design.
Madeline has also been a regular winner and nominee at the French César Award, earning recognition for her work on LA FABULEUX DESTIN D’AMELIE POULAIN, UN LONG DIMANCHE DE FIANCAILLES, SERAPHINE, MIC MACS A TIRE-LARIGOT, CAMILLE REDOUBLE, THE YOUNG AND THE PRODIFIOUS T.S. SPIVET, YVES SAINT LAURENT and UNE VIE.
Ilan Eshkeri is an award-winning British- French composer whose work uses multiple disciplines in various fields of art. Composer, songwriter, producer and conductor, Eshkeri’s work is performed in concert halls, theatres, galleries and commissioned for film, television and video games.
In 2017, Eshkeri created the ballet NARCISSUS AND ECHO, choreographed by famed dancer Sergei Polunin with set designs by photographer David LaChapelle. Eshkeri was also commissioned by Burberry for its game-changing autumn fashion show in London, where he conducted his choral symphonic suite RELIQUARY, which subsequently reached No. 1 in the classical chart. He also created music for the European Space Agency’s British astronaut Tim Peake’s Principia mission to the International Space Station.
Eshkeri has collaborated with many artists, including Annie Lennox on a live orchestral show of her songs, David Gilmour on his solo record ON AN ISLAND, written a song for Sinead O’Conner, and worked with rock bands and pop stars including KT Tunstall, Tom Odell, Ash and The Cinematic Orchestra. He has also collaborated with avant-garde electronic artist Amon Tobin, re-composing the electronic music for symphony orchestra, performed at the Royal Albert Hall. Eshkeri composed a symphonic tone poem about a Korean artist for the Louvre in Paris, and conducted the work to projected visuals of the art to thousands in the gardens of the Louvre. He has collaborated with infamous British art duo Jake & Dinos Chapman, legendary naturalist David Attenborough, as well as fashion brands, dancers and astronauts.
Among his extensive catalogue of over 50 film and television scores are multiple Academy and BAFTA award-winning films such as STILL ALICE, THE YOUNG VICTORIA and SHAUN THE SHEEP. Eshkeri has been nominated for an Ivor Novello award, as well as nominated for a BAFTA for THE SNOWMAN & THE SNOWDOG, where he co-wrote the hit LIGHT THE NIGHT.