IVAN'S CHILDHOOD   1962 * (Ива́ново де́тство / Ivanovo detstvo) * Directed by Andei Tarkovsky * 90 minutes * In Russian with English subtitles

The debut feature of the great Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky, Ivan’s Childhood is an evocative, poetic journey through the shadows and shards of one boy’s war-torn youth. It is a film about a 12-year old boy who volunteers to fight in the front lines against the German invasion because his family was murdered by the Nazis. His size and height make him the perfect spy for the Russians as he slides his way across muck and swamp to bring back vital information about the position of the German army. Moving back and forth between the traumatic realities of WWII and the serene moments of family life before the conflict began, Tarkovsky’s film remains one of the most jarring and unforgettable depictions of the impact of violence on children in wartime.

A superb film, by turns lyrical, harsh and intense.....in other words it is a perfect blend between conventional soviet-style realism, and the surreal dreamlike quality that is typical of Tarkovsky's cinema. The key performance comes from Ivan himself (Nikolai Burlyaev), a brilliant effort from a very young actor. This film caused a sensation when it was released and shown at Venice Film Festival in 1962 where it won the Golden Lion.

This will be a high-definition screenin