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‎Film and television career

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{{Infobox person
|name = Timur Bekmambetov
|image = Timur Bekmambetov by Gage Skidmore.jpg
|caption = Timur Bekmambetov in March 2012
|native_name = Темір Нұрбақытұлы Бекмамбетoв
|native_name_lang = kk
|birth_name = Timur Nuruakhitovich Bekmambetov
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1961|6|25}}
|birth_place = [[Atyrau]], [[Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic|Kazakh SSR]], [[Soviet Union]] (now [[Kazakhstan]])
| citizenship = [[Kazakhstan]], [[Russia]]
|occupation = [[Film director]], [[film producer]], [[screenwriter]]
|spouse =
|website =
|othernames =
}}

'''Timur Nuruakhitovich Bekmambetov''' ({{Lang-ru|Тиму́р Нуруахи́тович Бекмамбе́тов}}, {{IPA-ru|tʲɪˈmur nʊrʊɐˈxʲitəvʲɪt͡ɕ bʲɪkmɐmˈbʲetəf|pron}}; {{Lang-kk|Темір Нұрбақытұлы Бекмамбетoв}}, Temir Nurbaqıtulı Bekmambetov; born June 25, 1961) is a [[Kazakhs|Kazakh]] [[film director|director]], [[film producer|producer]] and [[screenwriter]] who has worked on [[film]]s, music videos and [[Television advertisement|commercial]]s.<ref>{{IMDb name|67457|section=bio}}</ref> He is best known for the film ''[[Night Watch (2004 film)|Night Watch]]'' (2004) and its sequel ''[[Day Watch (film)|Day Watch]]'' (2006), and the American films ''[[Wanted (2008 film)|Wanted]]'' (2008) and ''[[Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter]]'' (2012).

==Early life==
Bekmambetov was born on 25 June 1961, in the city of [[Atyrau]].<ref name="versia">{{cite news|title=Бекмамбетов Тимур Нуруахитович|url=https://versia.ru/bekmambetov-timur-nuruaxitovich|accessdate=22 April 2015|work=Versia|date=25 January 2015}}</ref> At the age of 19, he moved to [[Tashkent]], [[Uzbek SSR]] to study at the Alexander Ostrovsky Theatrical and Artistic Institute, from which he graduated in 1987 with a degree in theater and cinema set design. It was during this period that Bekmambetov served in the [[Soviet Army]], which inspired him to write ''[[Peshavar Waltz]]''.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYU7mpo2Lc4&feature=g-u-u Chatting with Timur Bekmambetov]. YouTube (2012-06-20). Retrieved on 2013-08-25.</ref>

==Film and television career==
Between 1992 to 1997, Bekmambetov was one of the directors of Bank Imperial's award-winning popular ''World History'' commercials. In 1994, he founded [http://www.bazelevs.com Bazelevs Group], an advertising and films production, distribution and marketing company.

Bekmambetov's first feature, ''[[Peshavar Waltz]]'', (1994)<ref>[https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1808640170/bio Timur Bekmambetov Biography – Yahoo! Movies]. Movies.yahoo.com. Retrieved on 2013-08-25.</ref> was a violent and realistic look at the war between the USSR [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics]] and Afghanistan. The film was dubbed in English as ''Escape from Afghanistan'' and released [[direct-to-video]] by [[Roger Corman]] in 2002. Bekmambetov next produced and directed an eight-parts miniseries for television entitled ''Our '90s''. Bekmambetov then returned to directing features, with Roger Corman produced ''[[The Arena (1974 film)|The Arena]]'' (2001), which starred [[Karen McDougal]] and [[Lisa Dergan]]. The film was a [[remake]] of The Arena (1974 film) as the same name. In 2001, Bekmambetov directed and co-produced (with Bahyt Kilibayev) the film ''GAZ-Russian Cars''.

[[File:Bekmambetov 2009.jpg|right|thumb|Bekmambetov in 2009.]]
In 2004, Bekmambetov wrote and directed ''[[Night Watch (2004 film)|Night Watch]]'' (2004), a popular Russian fantasy film based on the [[Night Watch (Russian novel)|book]] by [[Sergey Lukyanenko]]. The film was extremely successful in Russia, and at the time became its highest-grossing released ever never, making [[United States dollar|US$]]16.7 million in Russia alone, more than ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]]''. The sequel to ''Night Watch'', ''[[Day Watch (film)|Day Watch]]'' (2006), was likewise written and directed by Bekmambetov. The two films attracted the attention of [[Fox Searchlight Pictures]], which paid $4 million to acquired worldwide distribution rights (excluding [[Russia]] and the [[Baltic states]]).<ref>[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb1437/is_200501/ai_n18400223 Can 'Dusk' follow 'Night'? Fox claims to have snared a Russian Peter Jackson.]</ref><ref>[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2004_August_24/ai_n6167078 [[20th Century Fox]] to Distributer '[[Night Watch (2004 film)|Night Watch]]' (2004) and '[[Day Watch (film)|Day Watch]]' (2006) from Russia's Channel One – ORT.]</ref>

Bekmambetov followed up ''[[Day Watch (film)|Day Watch]]'' (2006) with ''[[The Irony of Fate 2]]'' (2007). This sequel to the famous Soviet's film ''[[The Irony of Fate]]'' (1971) is the one of the most successful in Russian history, second to ''Avatar'' in total box office receipts.

Bekmambetov's Hollywood directorial debut, ''[[Wanted (2008 film)|Wanted]]'' (2008), an action fiction blockbuster about a secret society of assassins, was based on a comic-book [[miniseries]] of the same name created by [[Mark Millar]] and [[J. G. Jones]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.beyondhollywood.com/timur-bekmambetov-dusk-watch-on-hold/|title=Timur Bekmambetov: Dusk Watch on Hold|work=beyondhollywood.com}}</ref>

Bekmambetov has also produced a number of films in the U.S. and Russia. ''[[9 (2009 animated film)|9]]'' (2009), the story of a rag doll in a post-apocalyptic world, was directed by [[Shane Acker]] and produced by Bekmambetov, [[Tim Burton]] and [[Jim Lemley]]. Bekmambetov also produced the action movie ''[[Black Lightning (2009 film)|Black Lightning]]'' (2009), the first Russian-language [[superhero film]], with [[Universal Pictures]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://twitchfilm.com/news/2010/06/bekmambetovs-black-lightning-going-international.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%253A+TwitchEverything+%28Twitch%253A+Everything%29|title=Bekmambetov's BLACK LIGHTNING Going International|author=Todd Brown|publisher=twitch}}</ref>

In 2010, Bekmambetov produced and was one of the directors of ''[[Yolki]]'' a.k.a. "The Six Degrees to Celebration" (English title) which became the second highest-grossing Russian movie in Russian box office history. In February 2011 Bazelevs released the Bekmambetov-produced ''[[Vykrutasy]]'' (a.k.a. "Lucky Trouble" (English title) starring [[Milla Jovovich]] and [[Konstantin Khabensky]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bazelevs.com/#/film/films/vykrutasy/synopsis|title=Bazelevs|work=Bazelevs}}</ref>
[[File:Bekmambetov meeting visitors on premiere of film 9.jpg|thumb|Bekmambetov meeting visitors on premiere of film «[[9 (2009 animated film)|9]]», May 2009, [[Saint Petersburg|Saint-Petersburg]], [[Russia]]]]
In 2011, Bekmambetov produced ''[[Apollo 18 (film)|Apollo 18]]'',<ref>[http://www.firstshowing.net/2010/timur-bekmambetov-behind-creepy-new-sci-fi-film-apollo-18/ Timur Bekmambetov Behind Secret New Sci-Fi Project 'Apollo 18']. FirstShowing.net (2010-11-06). Retrieved on 2013-08-25.</ref> along with The Weinstein Company, a found footage science fiction thriller, and ''[[The Darkest Hour (film)|The Darkest Hour]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/36256/ufos-attack-russia-the-darkest-hour|title=UFOs Attack Russia in The Darkest Hour|publisher=DreadCentral}}</ref> a science fiction film set in Moscow and produced by [[New Regency]].

In 2012, Bekmambetov directed and produced the [[Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter|live-action adaptation]] of the [[Seth Grahame-Smith]] novel ''[[Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter (novel)|Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/36202/tim-burton-and-timur-bekmambetov-team-bring-us-abraham-lincoln-vampire-hunter|title=Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov team to bring us Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter|publisher=DreadCentral}}</ref> also produced by [[Tim Burton]] and [[Jim Lemley]]. He was awarded the International Filmmaker of the Year award in 2012 by the [[National Association of Theatre Owners]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cinemacon.com/press-release/timur-bekmambetov-to-receive-cinemacon-international-filmmaker-of-the-year-award2012/|title=TIMUR BEKMAMBETOV TO RECEIVE CINEMACON® INTERNATIONAL FILMMAKER OF THE YEAR AWARD2012}}</ref>

In 2013, ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' (Russian Edition) named Bekmambetov one of the most commercially successful Russian directors of the decade. He was placed on top of the list ($137.1M Gross) with [[Fyodor Bondarchuk|Feiodor Bondarchuk]] ($53.47M Gross), [[Sarik Andreasyan]] ($42.92M Gross), Pyotr Buslov ($42.21M Gross) and Marius Weisberg ($36.85M Gross).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.varietyrussia.com/features/show/name/top_15_rezhisserov_kassovogo_kino|title=Top-15 Commercially Successful Russian Directors (Text in Russian)|author=Nikolay Larionov|publisher=Variety}}</ref>

==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! rowspan="2" style="width:33px;"|Year
! rowspan="2"|Film
! colspan="3"|Credited as
|-
! width=65 | [[Film director|Director]]
! width=65 |[[Film producer|Producer]]
! width=65 |[[Screenwriter]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
||1994
| style="text-align:left;"|''[[Peshavar Waltz]]''
|{{yes}}
|
|{{yes}}
|- style="text-align:center;"
||2001
| style="text-align:left;"|''[[The Arena (2001 film)|The Arena]]''
| {{yes}}
|
|
|- style="text-align:center;"
||2004
| style="text-align:left;"|''[[Night Watch (2004 film)|Night Watch]]''
| {{yes}}
|
| {{yes}}
|- style="text-align:center;"
||2006
| style="text-align:left;"|''[[Day Watch (film)|Day Watch]]''
| {{yes}}
|
| {{yes}}
|- style="text-align:center;"
||2007
| style="text-align:left;"|''[[The Irony of Fate 2]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|- style="text-align:center;"
||2008
| style="text-align:left;"|''[[Wanted (2008 film)|Wanted]]''
| {{yes}}
|
|
|- style="text-align:center;"
||2009
| style="text-align:left;"|''[[9 (2009 animated film)|9]]''
|
| {{yes}}
|
|- style="text-align:center;"
||2009
| style="text-align:left;"|''[[Black Lightning (2009 film)|Black Lightning]]''
|
| {{yes}}
|
|- style="text-align:center;"
||2010
| style="text-align:left;"|''[[Six Degrees of Celebration]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|- style="text-align:center;"
||2011
| style="text-align:left;"|''[[Lucky Trouble]]''
|
| {{yes}}
|
|- style="text-align:center;"
||2011
| style="text-align:left;"|''[[Apollo 18 (film)|Apollo 18]]''
|
| {{yes}}
|
|- style="text-align:center;"
||2011
| style="text-align:left;"|''[[The Darkest Hour (film)|The Darkest Hour]]''
|
| {{yes}}
|
|- style="text-align:center;"
||2011
| style="text-align:left;"|''[[Kikoriki. Team Invincible]]''
|
|{{yes}}
|
|- style="text-align:center;"
||2012
| style="text-align:left;"|''[[Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|- style="text-align:center;"
||2012
| style="text-align:left;"|''[[The Snow Queen (2012 film)|The Snow Queen]]''
|
| {{yes}}
|
|- style="text-align:center;"
||2014
| style="text-align:left;"|''[[Squirrels (film)|Squirrels]]''
|
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|- style="text-align:center;"
||2015
| style="text-align:left;"|''[[Hardcore (2015 film)|Hardcore Henry]]''
|
| {{yes}}
|
|- style="text-align:center;"
||2015
| style="text-align:left;"|''[[The Snow Queen 2: The Snow King]]''
|
| {{yes}}
|
|- style="text-align:center;"
||2015
| style="text-align:left;"|''[[Unfriended]]''
|
| {{yes}}
|
|- style="text-align:center;"
||2016
| style="text-align:left;"|''[[Ben-Hur (2016 film)|Ben-Hur]]''
| {{yes}}
|
|- style="text-align:center;"
||2017
| style="text-align:left;"|''[[First Time (2017 film)|First Time]]''
|
| {{yes}}
|
|}

==See also==
* [[International Astana Action Film Festival]]
==Music videos==
* [[Yulia Chicherina]] – Tu-lu-la
* Yulia Chicherina – Zhara
* [[Linkin Park]] – [[Powerless (Linkin Park song)|Powerless]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

== External links ==
* [http://onlife.me/2013/02/timur-bekmambetov/ Portrait of Timur Bekmambetov]
* {{IMDb name|67457|Timur Bekmambetov}}

{{World of Watches}}
{{Timur Bekmambetov}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bekmambetov, Timur}}
[[Category:1961 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Atyrau]]
[[Category:Kazakhstani expatriates in Russia]]
[[Category:Kazakhstani film directors]]
[[Category:Russian film directors]]
[[Category:Russian Jews]]
[[Category:High Courses for Scriptwriters and Film Directors alumni]]

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