Lev Milchin

Lev Isaakovich Milchin (Russian: Лев Исаакович Мильчин, 1920—1987) was a Soviet animation director, art director, artist and book illustrator. He was also a pedagogue at VGIK. He was named an Honoured Artist of the RSFSR in 1978. Lev Milchin was born into the family of the Soviet artist of Jewish origin Isaak Iosifovich Milchin. He graduated from the Minsk art school, then finished a newly opened art faculty at VGIK led by Ivan Ivanov-Vano.

During the Great Patriotic War, Milchin joined Narodnoe Opolcheniye, then worked at CIFS (Almaty) in evacuation as an artist on several movies. After the war he joined Soyuzmultfilm where he contributed to stop-motion and traditionally animated movies both as an art director and a director. Among his collaborators were Ivan Ivanov-Vano, Alexandra Snezhko-Blotskaya, Mikhail Tsekhanovsky, the Brumberg sisters and others.

Milchin also worked at Mosfilm as an art director. His filmography includes Sampo (1959) by Aleksandr Ptushko, Michman Panin (1960) by Mikhail Shveitser, My Younger Brother (1962) by Aleksandr Zarkhi, Maria, Mirabela (1981) by Ion Popescu-Gopo and other titles. He also taught art at VGIK, illustrated books and served as a member of ASIFA.

Milchin died on 28 June 1987, a few months after his friend and teacher Ivan Ivanov-Vano. He was buried in Moscow at the Mitinskoe Cemetery (site 126). He was survived by his wife Tamara Vladimirovna Poletika (1922—2011), an animator.