Ivan Maximov is the pride of Russain animation. He is a current member of the Union of Cinematographers of Russia, Academy of Motion Picture Arts "Nika" and the International Federation of Artists (IFA) UNESCO.
He was born in Moscow into a family of physicists and later graduated from Moscow Phisical-Technical Institute and Advanced courses of Filmdirecting and Scriptwriting. Apart of being an animator, he worked as a photographer at the Institute of Biophysics, an engineer at the Institute for Space Studies, a cartoonist and illustrator. Since 2002 he is also teaching film directing in schol-studio "SHAR" (Advanced courses of animation filmdirecting) and in VGIK .
He is a creator of Ivan Maximov animation studio and author of numerous animated films that have received wide recognition both in Russia and internationally - from Portugal to China.
Among the awards and prizes Maximov received are: Golden Bear, the main prize of the Berlin film festival, Professional prize "NIKA"(Moscow) for the best animation film made in 1992, Cup of Montecatini Terme (Italy), FIPRESCI critics prize of the festival of short films in Oberhauzene (Germany), award for Best Animated Film Festival MEDIAWAVE in Gyor (Hungary), III prize of the Festival "JAZZ IMAGE "in Rome (Italy), Special Prize of the festival VITA LONGA (Moscow), the audience prize at the festival Fantoche Basel (Switzerland), the festival prize KROK (Ukraine), and others.
He is a taoist and free-thinker.
Maximov's artistic motto is: art is beauty and love. Both exist for others to enjoy. Both are not for sale.