Elem Klimov

Former first secretary of the Soviet Filmmakers’ Union Elem Klimov was a graduate of the All-Russian State Institute of Cinematography, where he studied under Efim Dzigan. Over the course of his long career he made just five films, the most famous being the classic World War II film Come and See. Come and See was in many ways informed by Klimov’s childhood experiences; during the battle of Stalingrad Klimov’s family was evacuated by raft on the Volga. At the 1985 Moscow Film Festival, Come and See won Klimov both the FIPRESCI Prize and the Golden Prize. In his personal life, Klimov was married to the film director Larissa Shepitko, who tragically died in a car crash in 1979. At the time of the crash, Shepitko was working on her film Farewell, which Klimov subsequently completed. Klimov’s films ranged from black comedies to historical epics. Later on in life, Klimov had plans to adapt Dostoevsky’s Demons, Bulgakov’s Master and Margarita and to make a film on Stalin. However, none of these projects ever got off the ground, making Come and See his final work. —Seagull Films