Andrey Tarkovsky. A Cinema Prayer

A Cinema Prayer profiles one of the greatest directors of all time, Andrey Tarkovsky, the Russian mastermind behind Andrei Rublev and Stalker. Made in a suitably poetic style by the director’s son, the film weaves haunting film clips with rare archive video and contemporary footage of the filming locations, guided by Tarkovsky’s own words taken from various insightful interviews. There are also recordings of his father Arseny’s poetry, a profound influence on the director’s work. Unmissable for Tarkovsky fans, the film also works as a great primer for the uninitiated.

‘A large number of original theories have been put forward in an attempt to explain the Tarkovsky phenomenon in contemporary art. But what did Tarkovsky himself think about it? What were the principles that guided him in the creation of his masterpieces? Where did he get his inspiration? What did he live through and what did he want to communicate to the people who watched his films? Would it be possible, more than thirty years after his death, to hear again the voice of the director as he talks about his life, his profession, his vocation? These were the goals that I set myself in the making of the film, to take viewers back to the origins of the director’s thought and share the emotion of the encounter with the great artist, great man and life mentor that was my father.’ Andrey A.

Tarkovsky, Director