Alexander was born to a military pilot serving in Ukraine, the family moved frequently and stayed in Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Caucasus.

He graduated as a programmer and worked in the specialty to pay for studies at the Saint Petersburg State Institute of Film and Television Screen Arts department.

[5] Zolotukhin's early works include New Prometheus (2011), Songs That People Sang Before I Was Born (2012), Ornament (2014), Opyty (2016), Life Story of My Friend (2017), To Stumble (2019).

[2][7] The main part was played by an orphan Vladimir Korolev, Alexander Sokurov became the movie's art consultant.

The main parts were played by twin brothers Nikolay and Sergey Zhuravlev who are actually actors of the puppet theater.