Genre: War
Duration: 111 mins
Format: 35mm
Director: Larissa Shepitko
Cast: Boris Plotnikov, Vladimir Gostukhin, Sergei Yakovlev, Ludmila Polyakova



Awards: Golden Bear for Best Film (Berlin Internationa l Film Festival 1977) FIPRESCI Prize (Berlin International Film Festival 1977)

This overwhelming final film from Larissa Shepitko has been named as the finest Soviet film of its decade and in 1977, won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. Set during the darkest days of WWII, The Ascent follows two peasant soldiers, cut off from their company, trudging through the thick snow of Belarus seeking refuge amid villagers. Their tormenting trek leads them on a journey of heroism, betrayal and eventual transcendence.