Svetlana Khokhriakova graduated from the State Theatrical Institute (GITIS) and completed her graduate work in the Russian Academy of Theatrical Arts (RATI).  She is a member of the National Academy of Cinematic Arts “Nika,” as well as of the Experts Commission of the Guild of Film Scholars and Film Critics.  She is a member of the Union of Filmmakers, Union of Theatrical Workers, and the Union of Journalists in the Russian Federation.  She has written several books and articles s about figures in the world of theater and cinema.  For twenty years she edited the cinema section of the newspaper Kul’tura.  For the past five years she has chaired the Selection Committee for “Stalker” the festival of films in Moscow about the rights of people.  She is a film critic for the newspaper Moskovskii komsomolets.