Natalia Lukinykh is a film critic, documentary-filmmaker, teacher, program-director of Open Russian Festival of Animated Film (Suzdalfest), and programmer of the Krok International Animated Film Festival. Lukinykh was born in Moscow, and graduated at the Moscow State University as journalist. She published many articles about cinema in different periodicals, including The Big Russian Encyclopedia and The Big Encyclopedic Dictionary of Cinema. She worked as TV-reporter on cinema for many TV-programs, and was author and director of original TV-programs and documentaries about animation. She teaches at VGIK – Russian State University of Cinematography and School-studio SHAR. As teacher she participated in animation workshops in Ukraine, Lithuania, Estonia, Belgium, Portugal, Ireland. She is a member of ASIFA, FIPRESCI, and member of Russian Union of Filmmakers, as well as academician of Russian Cinema Academy Nika. Worked in jury and selection committees in International film festivals (Annecy, Stuttgart, Berlin, Tampere, Seoul, Beijing, Tallinn, Vilnius, Riga). Filmography: series: Animatheka (1993-97), Anima-Lesson (1999), documentaries: The People and Puppets (2000), The Tales, Realities (12 Films 2003-4), Dolls in the World of People (4 films, 2005), World on the Palm (2007), The Sun of Our Childhood (2010), The Restless Talents (4 films, 2009-11).