It has been a great joy to work with the Japanese producer, which has also meant a success in my life. We have made two films together since we met in 1995: The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway and My Love based on The Story of Love by Shmelyov. I am grateful to learn that our resonant interactions have brought us this visible result. I would like to thank Japan for awarding me such high recognition.

It is indisputably a masterpiece. This film illustrates the growing-up story of Anton at his puberty. Anton is attracted at the same time by two women who are both older than him and have totally different personalities. Through his relationships with these women, Anton experiences sensitive, vulnerable, and intense moments of his life. This is a work which Director Alexandre PETROV, the leading animator in Russia, put his heart and soul into. He has accomplished a unique method of using oil painting on glass and acrylic boards. The splendid technique and sensual beauty of his work is breathtaking.