I thought the life of this painter (Andrei Rublev) was a very good analogy for the Latin proverb, "Through hope to the stars." This phrase became the idea behind all my films.-Andrei KonchalovskyThe gifted writer-director Andrei Konchalovsky now works in the U.S. and abroad, but we have selected to present his masterful Russian films. Great favorites of PFA audiences in the past, and all too rarely seen, most are presented in new and restored prints. As we go to press, we are hopeful that Mr. Konchalovsky will be our guest on November 21 and 22, his first visit to PFA since 1981. (The PFA tape at 510-642-1124 will have confirmation of his appearance in mid-November.) In the 1960s, Andrei Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky was quickly recognized as the most talented of the young directors in what was called the post-Socialist Realist New Soviet Cinema-a school of filmmakers who shared a commitment to treating controversial themes from the past, and everyday themes from the present, with a modern, hard-edged anti-sentimental approach to the dramatic. Films such as The First Teacher and Asya's Happiness were daring ventures into contemporary rural life in the USSR. Unable to continue in this controversial direction, Konchalovsky turned to the classics of Russian literature-to Turgenev (A Nest of Gentlefolk) and Chekhov (Uncle Vanya). But his epic Siberiade, which won a special jury prize at the Cannes Festival, harks back to the director's early concerns in showing life in the farthest reaches of the Soviet Union. Albert Johnson, who wrote eloquently about Konchalovsky as Program Director for the San Francisco International Film Festival, commented, "Konchalovsky's use of light surpasses the best of Von Sternberg, and he uses color like a great painter." The brother and collaborator of actor-director Nikita Mikhalkov, Konchalovsky is as well known for his screenwriting as for his directorial credits, and we include in our tribute the Andrei Tarkovsky masterpiece Andrei Rublev from Konchalovsky's screenplay. This project is made possible through the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund Museum Collections Accessibility Initiative.Friday November 21, 1997