'' The Ascent '' ( , tr . '' Voskhozhdeniye '' , literally - The Ascension ) is a 1977 black-and-white Soviet drama film directed by Larisa Shepitko and made at Mosfilm . The movie was shot in January 1974 near Murom , Vladimir Oblast , Russia , in appalling winter conditions , as required by the script , based on the novel '' Sotnikov '' by Vasil Bykaŭ . It was Shepitko 's last film before her death in a car accident in 1979 . The film won the Golden Bear award at the 27th Berlin International Film Festival in 1977 . It was also selected as the Soviet entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 50th Academy Awards , but was not accepted as a nominee
50th Academy Awards
50th Academy Awards
The Ascent