Yuli Gusman
Yuli Solomonovich Gusman (; born 8 August 1943) is a Soviet, Russian and Azerbaijani film director and actor. He is the founder and CEO of the Nika Award. Life and career Yuli Gusman was born in Baku, Azerbaijan to military physician Solomon Gusman and professor Lola Barsuk, who later became a translator and professor at the Azerbaijan University of Languages. His brother Mikhail is the vice-president of the Information Telegraph Agency of Russia. In 1966 Yuli Gusman graduated from the Azerbaijan Medical University, majoring in therapeutics, and in 1970 earned a master's degree in Psychology and Psychiatry. He wrote a research paper to defend a thesis for another medical degree, but chose not to do so after being admitted to the Higher Film Directing Courses at Goskino. Upon graduating in 1976 he worked at Azerbaijanfilm where he created and directed stage performances and was the director of the satirical newsreel Mozalan. In the 1970s and the 1980s he worked as manager and director of the Azerbaijan State Theatre of Musical Comedy and the Song Theatre. He has directed seven films, including outside the Soviet Union (in the United States, Japan and China). In 1965–1972 he was head of Baku's KVN