Memory. Lev Nikolaev

On November 16, 1937, Lev Nikolaev, physicist and limonologist, popularizer of science was born.

Personal business

Lev Nikolaevich Nikolaev (1937-2011) was born in the city of Slavyansk-on-Kuban. He studied at high school, then at the Art College of the city of Krasnodar, which he graduated in 1954. In 1960 he graduated from the Faculty of Physics of Moscow State University. He worked at the Limnological Institute of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, studied lakes. In 1965 he graduated from graduate school, defending his thesis.

Having passed the movie Montazhi Mosfilm Mosphilm in the Eldar Ryazanov group, Nikolaev left science and devoted himself to film -domaining, having started directing and writing scenarios for documentary cinema.

In the late 50s and early 60s, he worked as a screenwriter, operator, director of documentary cinema. Being almost self -taught, from the film amateur Nikolaev quickly turned into a professional; Two of his early paintings “Evenings, months, years” and “Pages of Ice Life” were released, and his first full -length picture “Siberia Prisoners” was shown on large screens already in 70 countries of the world.

In 1973 he came to television. He was the editor of the popular science programs “Obvious-Incredible”, “Institute of Man”, later-the head and host of the programs “under the sign of Pi”, “Favorites”.

Since 1984, he taught at the highest courses of scriptwriters and directors Goskino.

In 1990, he became an artistic and scientific director, and since 2001 it became the president of the Civil Code of the Civil Code, which specializes in the production of popular science films and programs.

Since 1995, he served as an artistic director of the independent association of popular science and educational television. Since that time, he was an adviser to the general director of public Russian television on popular science broadcasting.

Since the late 1990s, Nikolaev conducted the program “Civilization” and “Geniuses and villains of the outgoing era”.

Lev Nikolaev died at the 74th year of his life on the night of May 20 to 21, 2011 after a long illness. He was buried in Moscow at the Kuntsevsky cemetery.

What is famous

In the TV show "Under the sign of Pi"

The outstanding television journalist and enlightener Lev Nikolaev took part in the creation of the famous popular science programs “The obvious-incredible”, “Under the sign of Pi”, “Favorites”, “Civilization”, “Geniuses and villains”-was their leader, editor, screenwriter, and sometimes the host.

Under his leadership of the television company “Civilization”, dozens of films for the TV channels “Russia”, “First”, “Culture” and others were released. Among the well-known projects of “civilization”, marked by professional prizes or awards-the cycle of the films “Thirteen Plus” about Russian scientists-laureates of the Nobel Prize, the cycle “Geniuses and villains”, the film “Federico Garcia Lorca. The mystery of love and death ”and a cycle of 15 films“ Secret Physicists ”.

As an operator, the author of scripts and director created 120 documentary and popular science films, many of which were awarded the prizes of Soviet, Russian and international film festivals. In particular, the program “Under the sign of Pi” received prizes at festivals in Bristol, Paris. In total, films and programs created according to the scenarios of Leo Nikolaev became the winners of all kinds of international prizes and festivals 19 times-including festivals in Tokyo, Paris, New York, Bristol, Venice, Montreal, Leipzig and Parma.

He released two workshops of playwrights in the highest courses of scriptwriters and directors. He is the author of several popular science books.

What you need to know about

In 1986, immediately after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Lev Nikolaev went to a dangerous zone to shoot the documentary “Warning”.

“When the Chernobyl accident happened, it was first hidden, then they were served with such a pathos, as if it were a Stalingrad battle, and then we were called and asked:“ Guys, make a good, serious popular science movie. Explain what happened and how it threatens, ”Nikolaev recalled.

The film "Warning" was one of the first serious scientific films about the catastrophe in Chernobyl both on Russian and world television. It was shown in 95 countries.

It was this trip to Chernobyl that undermined the health of Leo Nikolaev. In his life, the return counting began from that moment.

Direct speech

About my departure from science in film documentary: “I have never been a passionate physicist who seeks to make discoveries. I was engaged in science, it was interesting to me, in the end a living life, the opportunity to fix it was lured first in documentary, and then on television. ”

About the dominance of mysticism on the television screen and the ways of fighting it: “There is a simple way: publish any nonsense, and place a different point of view nearby. At least the reader finds out that there is another view of the problem. In the pursuit of the sensation, our media inflate insignificant events to global sizes, and as a result, the layman cannot figure out what is really worth his attention and what is not. Therefore, the tasks of popular science programs are not reduced to increase the flow of information, but to reduce it. ”

Chairman of the Redsovet of the magazine "BroadCasting. Television and broadcasting ”Valentin Lazutkin about Leo Nikolaev: “ I do not know another master who did so much on television as Lev Nikolaevich. If you collect all his programs together, then they will be enough for more than one channel and not one year. Especially expensive is that they are ours, originally Russian, and not bought abroad under a license. Telefilms and programs of Leo Nikolaev - the pride of domestic television, a high bar of skill and civil service. ”

6 facts about Leo Nikolaev

• As a child, Lev Nikolaev dreamed of becoming an architect. His student drawings, in honesty, a portrait of Nietzsche, have been preserved.
• Nikolaev stood at the origins of the “television bridge” format in the Soviet Union and took part in the creation of the first television stations between the USSR and the USA (Moscow-Kalifornia, Moscow-Boston, Moscow-Vashington, Moscow-Kopengagen-Boston, Moscow-Nahu York).
• Nikolaev dreamed of creating a specialized educational channel on television. In the spring and summer of 1998, he worked closely on his project and was already very close to the goal - the concept of the channel was developed, technical solutions were prepared, and an agreement on sponsorship with Russian businessmen was reached. The project was supported by the head of the Russian government, Viktor Chernomyrdin, but his departure from the post of prime minister and the default on the project was put on the project.
• Lev Nikolaev became a laureate of more than a dozen different awards. He was awarded the TEFI prize three times and twice became the laureate of the USSR State Prize: in 1980-for creating the program “Obvious-Military”, in 1986-for a cycle of documentaries.
• In 2007, Lev Nikolaev was awarded the Order of Honor for many years of fruitful work in the field of broadcasting.
• In 2011, with the support of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation and the Civilization Television company, the Gold Medal named after Leo Nikolaev was established. The award is awarded annually for a significant contribution to education, a popularization of the achievements of science and culture.

Materials about Leo Nikolaev

Interview with Lev Nikolaev.

“Science can turn the villain into a good person!” Memory of Leo Nikolaev. AiF, 05/21/2011

Academician of smart television . Valentin Lazutkin.

Article about Leo Nikolaev on Wikipedia