Tarkovsky studied film at Moscow's VGIK under filmmaker Mikhail Romm, and subsequently directed his first five features in the Soviet Union:
tɑːɹkˈɑːvski stˈʌdid fˈɪlm æt mˈɑːskoʊz vˈiːdʒˈɪk ˌʌndɚ fˈɪlmeɪkɚ mˈɪkaɪl ɹˈɑːm, ænd sˈʌbsᵻkwəntli dᵻɹˈɛktᵻd hɪz fˈɜːst fˈaɪv fˈiːtʃɚz ɪnðə sˈoʊviət jˈuːniən: