His wife 's death had a profound impact on Klimov — all his films after this time were tragedies . His next film , '' Come and See '' , was released in 1985 to worldwide acclaim and won the Golden Prize at the 14th Moscow International Film Festival . The film depicts the experiences of a 15-year-old boy joining the resistance in German-occupied Byelorussia in 1943 . Speaking of how the film drew on his own childhood experience of the war , Klimov said , " As a young boy , I had been in hell ... Had I included everything I knew and shown the whole truth , even I could not have watched it . " In 1986 , fresh from the success of '' Come and See '' , and with the changes brought by perestroika in the air , Klimov was chosen by his colleagues to be the First Secretary of the Filmmakers ' Union following the '' V Congress of the Soviet Filmmakers '' . During the congress all previous heads of the Filmmakers ' Union — including Lev Kulidzhanov , Sergei Bondarchuk , Stanislav Rostotsky and others — were overthrown in favour of " liberal " activists . According to some critics and filmmakers , the congress was conducted by Alexander Yakovlev , one of the grey cardinals of Perestroika who was unofficially presented there , consulting the activists from time to time
14th Moscow International Film Festival
14th Moscow International Film Festival
Elem Klimov