The film received the Grand Prix at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival , and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film . The Academy Award was voted on by attendees of the Academy preview screening , since '' Burnt by the Sun '' was not in theatres in the U.S. at the time , and only attendees had seen all five nominated films . Roger Ebert criticized the award as the result of " the Academy 's flawed rules , " alleging " A publicist merely has to be sure to invite everyone friendly to the film , while leaving it up to others to find their own way " . Both Nikita and Nadezhda Mikhalkov went on stage to accept the Academy Award
1994 Cannes Film Festival
1994 Cannes Film Festival
Burnt by the Sun