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Igor LopatenokUkrainian and American film industry figure
Date of Birth: 04.01.1968
Country:  Ukraine |
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Early Career
- Business and Finance
- Legal Career
- Film Career
- Documentary Films
- Professional Affiliations
- Board Member of the Guild of Producers of Ukraine
Early Life and Education
Igor Lopatonok was born on January 4, 1968, in Marganets, Ukraine. At the age of 15, he enrolled in the Department of Physics and Engineering at Dnipropetrovsk State University. He graduated from the Physico-Technical Institute of Dnipropetrovsk National University named after Oles Honchar in 1988.
Early Career
In 1986-1987, Lopatonok worked as a manager for the computer club "Impulse." In 1988, he became the commercial director of the Youth Union of the Communist Party in Dnipropetrovsk. From 1989 to 1990, he worked for the American company GSUS Inc. in Moscow as a referent and later as the vice president for Soviet Union operations. In 1989, he was appointed as the international coordinator for the "Earth Concert" project in the USSR.
Business and Finance
From 1990 to 1991, Lopatonok studied international finance at the Higher School of Business in Moscow, in collaboration with Harvard University. In 1990, he participated in the first commodity exchange in the USSR, RTSB, and owned a brokerage firm. In 1991, he was elected as the Chairman of the Ukrainian branch of the International Guild of Brokers. From 1991 to 1994, he served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Ukrainian Metal Exchange. He also held positions at OJSC "Yuzhmetallinvest," Marganets Mining and Processing Plant, and the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration.
Legal Career
From 2002 to 2004, Lopatonok founded and directed the law firm "Sherman" in Dnipropetrovsk, specializing in mergers and acquisitions (M&A). He successfully pursued investment and business activities in Ukraine and Russia until 2003.
Film Career
In 2003, Lopatonok co-founded the company "Technomedia," which began with documentary films about air shows. He produced several TV series, feature films, and over 40 music videos for Ukrainian and Russian artists. In 2008, he moved to the United States.
Documentary Films
Lopatonok has served as executive producer for the film "Snowden" and produced the feature-length documentaries "Ukraine on Fire" (2016) and "Ukraine: The Everlasting Present" (2021). He has also worked on documentaries about former Azerbaijan President Heydar Aliyev and Russian President Vladimir Putin. In collaboration with Oliver Stone, he released "Kazakh: The History of the Golden Man" (2021) about Nursultan Nazarbayev.
Professional Affiliations
Lopatonok is a member of numerous professional organizations in the film and television industry, including:
Board Member of the Guild of Producers of Ukraine
Member of France's Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animéeMember of CEPI (European Confederation of Independent Producers)
Member of SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers)
Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Ukrainian Film Commission
Member of the Directors Guild of America
Colorization and 3D Conversion
Inspired by the original plan to release the film "In the Skies of War" in color, Lopatonok became a pioneer in the colorization of classic black-and-white films in the post-Soviet space. He colorized notable Soviet films such as "They Fought for Their Country," "Volga-Volga," and "Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears," bringing them to new audiences.
Lopatonok is also an expert in 3D conversion. His work includes the feature films "The Nutcracker in 3D" by Andrei Konchalovsky and the animated film "The Last Man from Atlantis."
