Sokurov was born in Podorvikha , Irkutsk Oblast , in Siberia , into a military officer 's family . He graduated from the History Department of the Nizhny Novgorod University in 1974 and entered one of the VGIK studios the following year . There he became friends with Tarkovsky and was deeply influenced by his film '' Mirror '' . Most of Sokurov 's early features were banned by Soviet authorities . During his early period , he produced numerous documentaries , including '' The Dialogues with Solzhenitsyn '' and a reportage about Grigori Kozintsev 's flat in St Petersburg . His film '' Mournful Unconcern '' was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 37th Berlin International Film Festival in 1987
37th Berlin International Film Festival
37th Berlin International Film Festival
Alexander Sokurov