Egor Povolotskiy's fascination with cinematography began at the tender age of four when he first began shooting with his parents' old Handycam back home in Moscow, Russia. Although he was always intrigued by the power of film, Povolotskiy's astute intelligence matched by his wild imagination originally led him to embark on a career in computer science and artificial intelligence.
He admits, "I thought that I was going to create robots and terminators, you know, what people think about when they think of AI. But it turned out to be very boring and in Russia AI is still very weak."
Povolotskiy concluded whilst in college that computer science was not at all what he had imagined; and to the benefit of the wide range of films he has since led to success with his exceptional abilities as a cinematographer, he claimed his rightful place behind the lens. Povolotskiy might not be building terminators anytime soon, but his career has led him to shoot photos of Hollywood legend Arnold Schwarzenegger, the man audiences around the world recognize as thee terminator.
A spectacular photographer by anyone's standards, an irreplaceable asset in his line of work as photography is the foundation of cinematography, Povolotskiy's immense talent and experience have been the defining characteristics of a countless and growing number of hugely successful films.
Sabre Dance, one of Povolotskiy’s most recent productions, tells the story of famed Soviet-Armenian Aram Khachaturian, whose works in Russia and abroad earned him a place as one of the 20th century’s most revered composers. Sabre Dance begins after Khachaturian performs a concert in Spain, which is received with great fanfare. He is invited to meet Salvador Dali, which, as one might imagine, proves to be quite an unusual experience.
Povolotskiy recalls, "This project was special for me because we had two absolutely different characters and as the cinematographer I had to tell the story from the emotional POVs of both Aram and Salvador in order to express the main idea of the film."
After its release, the film's tour of the American circuit won Sabre Dance and Povolotskiy the Grand Prize at the 2015 USA Film Festival, an Honorable Mention at the 2015 Rochester Film Festival, and other nominations for awards at both the USA Film Festival and the San Louis Obispo Film Festival.
Povolotskiy’s work on We Are Enemies is another prime example of his storytelling vision and ability to express difficult and philosophical ideals through the art of his camera work. It tells the story of two World War 2 soldiers on opposing sides in the war. One of the soldiers is tasked with executing the other, and the audience sits in high tensions as he grapples with having to take the life of another man.
The film, which examines the concept of universal humanity regardless of nationality during war, earned the respect and acclaim of festival judges nationwide. It was nominated for awards at the Phoenix Film Festival, the Santa Fe Film Festival, the Arizona International Film Festival and The Big Easy Film Festival. It also won multiple prizes at the prestigious Rochester International Film Festival.
Because of his expertise in computer science, which includes a master’s degree in artificial intelligence, Povolotskiy was specifically chosen to work with director Atryom Miroshin on the film Terminal State. Primarily filmed against a green screen, Povolotskiy’s artistic cinematic display of a girl who survives the apocalypse is gripping, and shows how his incredible talent can truly stand out even when his shots are rendered in the thoroughly modernist medium.
A standout cinematographer in a field where only the very best creative minds meet success, Povolotskiy has made a niche for himself as a visionary who can truly adapt to the needs of any director or writer. It is not simply his ability to materialize the conceptual, however, which separates him from his peers, but his ability to turn those concepts into original and distinctly unique productions. His incredible visionary eye turns stories into gripping cinematic experiences, a need which Hollywood is perpetually seeking to fulfill.