Yana Gorskaya
| Yana Gorskaya | |
|---|---|
 Gorskaya (center) with Sean Welch and Jeffrey Blitz at the 2010 Sundance film festival | |
| Born | Russia |
| Occupation | Film editor |
| Years active | 2002–present |
Yana Gorskaya is a Russian-American film editor. She is best known for her work in the editorial departments of the films Spellbound (2002), Rocket Science (2007) and Smart People (2008).
Career
Gorskaya obtained a Bachelor of Arts from New York's Columbia University and later attended the University of Southern California (USC) to obtain a Master of Fine Arts degree.[1] She was hired to edit her first feature film, 2002's Spellbound, when director Jeffrey Blitz asked his former USC mentor Kate Amend if she would recommend one of her students to work on his documentary film. Amend suggested Gorskaya, who was working as a teaching assistant while completing her MFA; Gorskaya accepted the offer and put together the final cut of the film, working part-time from 2000–2002.[2] Spellbound was ultimately nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, and Gorskaya won the American Cinema Editors Award for Best Edited Documentary.[3] Her next three features, also documentaries, were In the Name of Love (2003), produced by Sydney Pollack, about Russian marriage agencies, Sonny Boy (2004), directed by Soleil Moon Frye, focusing on Frye's relationship with her father, and Seeds (2004), about the Seeds of Peace camp in Maine.[3]
Gorskaya's first non-documentary feature was 2007's Rocket Science, with which she worked with Blitz for a second time.[1] She then edited the 2008 independent comedy film Smart People, which was written by Mark Poirier and directed by Noam Murro.[3] She is set to edit Blitz's upcoming documentary about lottery winners.[4]
Gorskaya is also a screenwriter with writing partner and childhood friend Maia Rossini. They are represented at Creative Artists Agency.
Personal life
Gorskaya was born in Russia,[4] and emigrated to the United States with her single mother at the age of six.[2] She is fluent in Russian, French and Spanish.[3] She currently resides in Los Angeles, California.[2]
References
- 1 2 "Rocket Science Production Notes" (Press release). Picturehouse. 2007. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
- 1 2 3 Brown, Kimberley (September 1, 2003). "Cut and Pace". RealScreen. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
- 1 2 3 4 "Yana Gorskaya (résumé)" (PDF) (Press release). Sheldon Prosnit Agency. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
- 1 2 Heller, Joel (March 3, 2007). "Yana Gorskaya, Editor of SPELLBOUND". DocsThatInspire.com. Retrieved 2009-04-26.