The Ascent

The Ascent (Russian: Восхождение, tr. Voskhozhdeniye) is a 1977 Soviet drama film directed by Larisa Shepitko and made at Mosfilm. Shepitko and Yuri Klepikov's screenplay was adapted from the 1970 novel Sotnikov by Vasil Bykaŭ. The film was shot in black-and-white in January 1974 near Murom, Russia, in appalling winter conditions. The Ascent won the Golden Bear at the 27th Berlin International Film Festival in 1977. It was also selected as the Soviet entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 50th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee. It was Shepitko's last film before her death in a car accident in 1979.