'' Andrei Rublev '' is set against the background of 15th-century Russia . Although the film is only loosely based on the life of Andrei Rublev , it seeks to depict a realistic portrait of medieval Russia . Tarkovsky sought to create a film that shows the artist as " a world-historic figure " and " Christianity as an axiom of Russia ’s historical identity " during a turbulent period of Russian history that ultimately resulted in the Tsardom of Russia . The film 's themes include artistic freedom , religion , political ambiguity , autodidacticism , and the making of art under a repressive regime . Because of this , it was not released domestically in the officially atheist Soviet Union for years after it was completed , except for a single 1966 screening in Moscow . A version of the film was shown at the 1969 Cannes Film Festival , where it won the FIPRESCI prize . In 1971 , a censored version of the film was released in the Soviet Union . The film was further cut for commercial reasons upon its U.S. release through Columbia Pictures in 1973 . As a result , several versions of the film exist
1969 Cannes Film Festival
1969 Cannes Film Festival
Andrei Rublev (film)