Monument to filmmaker Aleksei Balabanov unveiled in Yekaterinburg

A monument to renowned Russian film director Aleksei Balabanov was unveiled in Yekaterinburg, depicting a tram car from the film "Brother" in which a sculpture of Balabanov sits. The ceremony was attended by hundreds of city residents and several prominent figures from Russian culture.

A monument to Russian film director Aleksei Balabanov was unveiled near the Palace of Youth in Yekaterinburg in his memory. The monument depicts a decrepit tram car from the film "Brother", exactly the kind the film's protagonist Danila Bagrov uses to escape from gangsters. Inside the tram sits a sculpture of Balabanov.

Hundreds of residents on the street

Hundreds of Yekaterinburg residents came to the opening ceremony. Also present were Russia's presidential representative in the Urals Federal District Artem Zhoga, filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov, presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, founder of the band Chayf Vladimir Shahrin, actor Aleksei Chadov, filmmaker and producer Sergei Selyanov, as well as Balabanov's first wife Irina and son Fyodor. Footage from the director's films was shown in the background of the monument.

Mikhalkov's speech

Nikita Mikhalkov, who himself played a role in Balabanov's film "Zmurki", spoke at the opening: "Who knows how he worked? God knows. This man expressed himself in God's given language, cinematography. That was not dictated by the times, interest, trends or fashion. He was himself in these films and was responsible for every frame. That is what makes his films absolutely timeless."

According to Vladimir Medinsky, "Balabanov sought to capture the nerve of his time". "He was born and studied here, absorbing the spirit of Urals freedom, energy, music and the sound of the Sverdlovsk rock club. He managed to convey not only an era and years, but also the essence of the Russian person," said the former culture minister.

Competition and sculptor

The monument was completed following a two-stage competition process. The first competition, announced in 2024, failed when the jury, which included representatives from Yekaterinburg city administration and musicians and filmmakers who knew Balabanov, concluded that although 58 submissions were received from 47 participants, "convincing architectural proposals" were not found. A second round was held and the results were announced in May 2025.

The winner was Omsk sculptor Meiram Baymukhanov, a graduate of the Repin State Academy of Fine Arts, Sculpture and Architecture in St. Petersburg and a member of the Russian Union of Artists. He previously created a memorial dedicated to "military special operation heroes" in Kudrovo, a city in Leningrad Oblast.

The monument was originally planned to be placed in front of the Sverdlovsk Film Studio, but ultimately it was decided to erect it near the Palace of Youth, on the street where Balabanov lived, close to the school where he studied. The opening was initially scheduled for 18 May, the anniversary of the director's death, but was postponed to June due to Moscow visitors' schedule.