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Russian moviemaker Alexei Uchitel would like an Oscar but doubts its objectivity

He noted that it would have been not just an award for him but also prestige for the country

MOSCOW, August 30. /TASS/. Russian film director Alexei Uchitel has revealed that he would like to receive an Academy Award as the highest recognition of his professional merits, he said on Monday at a meeting held in TASS and dedicated to his 70th anniversary.

"It’s not just me who needs it because films are made by an enormous amount of people and when a film receives [an award] it is not just an award for me. It is also prestige for the country, it’s like when we want to win the Olympics. It is the greatest achievement," he explained.

At the same time, the director acknowledged that there is no objectivity in the voting process. "You can make a brilliant movie but you will be passed up by because real people are evaluating it," he noted.

Uchitel’s The Edge was picked as the Russian entry for the 2010 Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category. The director celebrates his birthday on August 31.