Leonid Trauberg

Leonid Trauberg, or Леонид Трауберг (17 {O.S. 4} January 1902, Odessa, Russian Empire — 14 November 1990, Moscow, USSR) was a Soviet film director, screenwriter, and pedagogue. Between 1924 and 1947, Trauberg extensively collaborated with Grigori Kozintsev (1905—1973), and they co-wrote and co-directed all movies together. Both directors were Jewish, targeted by the post-WWII "anti-cosmopolitan" campaign in the Soviet Union; Kozintsev had a Slavonic family name and further adopted a different patronymic, "Mikhailovich" instead of "Moiseyevich," to avoid antisemitic attacks. Trauberg's name was explicitly Jewish — thus, he was denounced as the "leader of the anti-patriotic group of bourgeois cosmopolites in Soviet cinema" in Pravda newspaper in March 1949. He became persona "non-grata," ostracized from most professional activities for over a decade, significantly affecting Trauberg's career. In later years, he predominantly focused on teaching. Trauberg held several professional accolades, including the 1st degree State Stalin Prize (1941) and People's Artist of the RSFSR (1987).