Stalinist Russia, circa 1930, is recreated in this Russian-French film that focuses on a small, elite gathering of family and friends who appreciate the idealism of Stalin’s visions because they do not have to experience its darker side of gulags and purges.

Nikita Mikhalkov won the Best Foreign Picture Oscar® for this epic account of rural family life in 1930s Russia. A classical tragedy on a vast canvas, steeped in its director’s love for Chekhov, Burnt by the Sun is a film of big themes, bigger performances and a bottomless generosity of heart.