With his horror film “Night Watch,” director Timur Bekmambetov had in mind a dual objective – to evoke a classically scary movie, but to set his chilling tale in a realistic version of his homeland, showing both the good and bad of everyday life in Russia. His efforts paid off. Upon release, “Night Watch” broke Russian box office records, making it one of the highest-grossing films in that country’s history.

Born June 25, 1961 in the small town of Guryev, Soviet Union – now Atyrau, Kazakhstan – Bekmambetov spent his childhood devouring all kinds of films, as well as priding himself on being the