Yuri Mamin

Yuri Borisovich Mamin (Russian: Юрий Борисович Мамин; born 8 May, 1946; Leningrad) is a Soviet and Russian filmmaker, stage director, screenwriter, composer, actor, author and television host, Honored Art Worker of the Russian Federation. His "Window to Paris" (1993) remains one of the most popular movies in Russia. His Buddhist-themed film "Don't Think About White Monkeys" (2008) is popular among the Russian noncomformist youth, including punks and rockers. Yuri Mamin is the only person in Russia to have won the Chaplin's Golden Cane award. The award was presented by Charlie Chaplin's widow, Oona Chaplin, at the festival marking 100 years since the birth of the great comedian. The festival was held in the Swiss city of Vevey, where Chaplin was buried. Mamin's works are known for a strong emphasis on social justice and criticism of hypocritical social norms. Because of this, he found difficult to find support for his productions in the totalitarian USSR, as well as in today's Russia, where film makers became dependent on corporate oligarchy. His characters often portray an inspired citizen in the fight for social justice against corporate capitalism.