Michael Arnoldovich Lockshin (Russian: Михаи́л Арнольдович Ло́кшин; born 1981) is an American-born Russian film director and writer. Lockshin was born in 1981 in the USA. He grew up in both the US and Russia, and then after college moved to London. Lockshin graduated with a MA degree in Psychology from Moscow States University. He is the son of the American scientist Arnold Lockshin. When he was five years old, his family moved to the USSR. On his father's side, he is descended from Jews who fled Ukraine out of fear of antisemitism. According to Business Insider, Michael is not a Russian citizen. While still studying in college, Lockshin started directing commercials and music videos. He shot commercials for over 10 years, and his spots won numerous awards, including Cannes Lions Young Director's Awards, Golden Drum, and others. The David Duchovny ad (2014) went viral internationally. Lockshin's debut feature film, Silver Skates, shot in 2019, was released theatrically Christmas 2020 in Russia to high acclaim. The movie became the first Russian-language Netflix Originals movie. It premiered as the Opening Film of the Moscow International Film Festival. At the 20th Golden Eagle Awards (2021), Silver Skates was nominated for 12 awards, a record in the history of the Golden Eagle Awards, and won 6 awards, including "Best Picture". Lockshin himself was nominated for Best Director. The film also won "Best Picture" from the Association of Producers awards (APKIT), and won several awards at the Nika Awards in 2021, with Lockshin up in the category "Discovery of the Year". His second feature film The Master and Margarita, based on Mikhail Bulgakov's cult novel The Master and Margarita, which he also co-wrote stars German actor August Diehl. The film was shot in 2021. The film's release date was pushed multiple times and was ultimately released in January 2024.
