The best Mikhail Kononov’s movies

An expansive Russian drama, this film focuses on the life of revered religious icon painter Andrei Rublev. Drifting from place to place in a tumultuous era, the peace-seeking monk eventually gains a reputation for his art. But after Rublev witnesses a brutal battle and unintentionally becomes involved, he takes a vow of silence and spends time away from his work. As he begins to ease his troubled soul, he takes steps towards becoming a painter once again.

The story about a very small god-forgotten village in Siberia reflects the history of Russia from the beginning of the century till early 80s. Three generations try to find the land of happiness and to give it to the people. One builds the road through taiga to the star over horizon, the second 'build communism' and the third searches for oil. The oil is found but the destruction of the old cemetry and everything the people of the village cared for followed to get the 'black treasure' of Siberia.

They are neither adults nor kids - somewhere in between, living in their separate boys and girls cozy dorms and doing whatever they love to do - inventors, artists, poets, mechanists, scientists and....just dreamers! These enthusiastic and creative folks enjoy their half-adult, half-childish lifestyles and entertain each other with the different tricks and practical jokes. The main hero stands out of the crowd - while the others try to live the normal life socializing as they can, he can never be rested, always coming up with the different unpredictable and unexpected moves, which always make viewers burst with laugh....

Platon Ryabinin, a pianist, is traveling by train to a distant town of Griboedov to visit his father. He gets off to have lunch during a twenty minute stop at Zastupinsk railway station. He meets Vera, a waitress, after he refuses to pay her for the disgusting food he doesn't even touch and misses his train due to police investigation of the incident. His passport is then accidentally taken away from him by Andrei, Vera's fiancé, and his money is stolen as he waits for the next train to Griboedov. Vera learns that Platon is about to get sentenced and sent to prison in the Far East for a car accident he isn't guilty for. During the few days that Platon has to spend in Zastupinsk he and Vera develop feelings for each other...

A talented girl from the provincial Russian town Pasha Stroganova dreams of becoming an actress. She plays the role of Baba Yaga in the amateur theatre — and does it so organically that the visiting filmmaker offers her the most difficult role in the historical drama about Joan of Arc. She was given not only great acting talent, but the talent of deep, selfless love. A dream comes true: she is invited to the main role, and she begins a completely different life, full of real creative torment, insights and true happiness.

A young teacher goes to a school for adults. He is younger than many of his students and some of them are starting to miss school.

In Soviet days an old peasant woman's hen begins to lay golden eggs. Of course, everyone agrees that she should share the wealth like a good citizen.

War correspondent Lopatin takes a 20-day-leave from his hard work at the front in 1942. He travels to faraway Tashkent to meet the family of the killed soldier and visit the film set of the screen adaptation of his war-time stories. Lopatin also manages to walk the streets of Tashkent, take part in a factory workers' meeting and have a short-lived love affair. Although with no bombings and fighting, the city dwellers breathe the atmosphere of the ongoing war.

A group of "friends" are trying to solve a mysterious death of a factory director - and find the money he stole from them.

The film tells about the fighting everyday life of the crew of self-propelled guns during the liberation of Right-Bank Ukraine. Junior Lieutenant Maleshkin, an unshooted graduate of the school, commands the crew of the self-propelled gun SU-100. All the subordinates of Maleshkin are older than him and much more experienced. The authority of the young commander is tested at every step, he quarrels, then reconciles with his crew. In addition, Maleshkin is very dissatisfied with the battery commander, he now and then threatens to remove the sluggish young officer from the command. In the crew of Maleshkin, various troubles constantly occur: either the driver will catch the commandant’s eyes in an untidy, grimy look, then a combat grenade with a dropped check will be discovered in the car, or a breakdown will occur just at the moment the regiment enters the march.

A talented girl is trying to find happiness amidst the Russian revolution of 1917 and the civil war that split the nation.

Young patriotic young man ends up in the on Chukotka right after the civil war, where he intends to spread ideas of justice and equality among the natives. As it happens, instead he learn the local capitalist ways, and he start profitable fur trading with US, Japanese and other merchants.

The girl Frosya Burlakova comes to Moscow from the remote Siberian village of Eltsovka to become a singer. She stops at the sculptor Nikolai Vasilyevich, who studied at a school in Zaporozhye, where their mutual friend worked — a school caretaker, who then moved to Siberia. Completely unfamiliar with the life of big cities, Frosya amuses Nikolai Vasilyevich himself, his girlfriend Natasha and the housekeeper with his provinciality and spontaneity. However, the absolute sincerity and spiritual purity of Frosy make the sculptor think that he himself has long been stuck in lies, vanity and commercial work, exchanged his artistic talent for trifles and lost his creative path.