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MOSCOW, August 26 Russian Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova, speaking about the death of director Gleb Panfilov, noted that it is hard to believe.
Panfilov died on Saturday at the age of 89.
«Gleb Anatolyevich Panfilov. God rest his soul. It's hard to believe so far,» the head of the department wrote on her Telegram channel.
Panfilov was hospitalized at the Sklifosovsky Institute with a stroke on May 11th. Later, the director of the Lenkom Theater, Mark Varshaver, told the agency that the director had developed pneumonia. The medical facility reported that the director is in serious condition. Later, according to Varshaver, Panfilov was transferred to a rehabilitation center, and from there to «one of the hospitals in Moscow.» In August, Varshaver reported that Panfilov was not feeling well, but his condition was assessed as satisfactory.
Panfilov was born on May 21, 1934 in Magnitogorsk. In 1966, he began working at Lenfilm, where he filmed his feature debut «There is no ford in the fire» (received the main prize at the Locarno Film Festival). Panfilov also shot the pictures «I ask for words», «Theme», «Valentina», «Vassa», «Mother» and others, staged performances at Lenkom and the Theater of Nations. In 1970, he made the film «The Beginning» with Inna Churikova in the title role, during the filming they got married and lived together for more than 50 years. People's Artist of the USSR Churikova died on January 14, 2023 in Moscow after a long illness.