Yury Arabov was born on 25 October 1954 in Moscow. In 1980 he graduated from /VGIK/ - the All-Union State Cinematography Institute - (N. Figurovsky and S. Dikoy studio).

He was among the founders of the informal club "Poezia" (Poetry) in 1986. Since 1992 Yury has been the Chief of Scritwriting Department at VGIK. He has written scripts for over than 15 movies filmed in Russian studios.

Script writer for the following Sokurov's films:

1978-87 – "Odinoky Golos Cheloveka" (The Lonely Voice of Man)
1983-87 – "Skorbnoe Beschustvie" (Painful Indifference. "ANAESTESIA PSYCHICA DOLOROSA")
1988 – "Dni Zatnmenia" (Days of the Eclipse) (in cooperation with Arcady and Boris Strugatsky and Piotr Kadochnikov)
1989 – "Spasi i Sohrani" (Save and Protect)
1990 – "Krug Vtoroi" (Second Circle)
1992 – "Kamen" (Stone)
1993 – "Tikhie Stranitsy" (Whispering Pages) (author of the dialogues in cooperation with Alexander Chernych)
1997 – "Mat' i Syn" (Mother and Son)
1999 – "Moloch"
2000 – "Telets" (Taurus)

Prizes and awards:

1999. Prize of the International Cannes Festival for the Best Script ("Moloch").