Andrei Arsenyevich Tarkovsky () (April 4, 1932–December 29, 1986) was a Soviet and Russian filmmaker, writer, film editor, film theorist and opera director.

Tarkovsky's films include Andrei Rublev, Solaris, The Mirror, and Stalker. He directed the first five of his seven feature films in the Soviet Union; his last two films were produced in Italy and Sweden. They are characterized by spirituality and metaphysical themes, extremely long takes, lack of conventional dramatic structure and plot, and memorable cinematography.

Ingmar Bergman said of him: "Tarkovsky for me is the greatest [1], the one who invented a new language, true to the nature of film, as it captures life as a reflection, life as a dream".Title quote of 2003 Tarkovsky Festival Program, Pacific Film Archive