Directing
Mikhail Arkhipov
Born 1982-01-09
Director, editor, and film scholar. Initially trained as a space communications engineer. Graduated in 2017 from St. Petersburg University of Cinema and Television, studying under Oleg Kovalov. Arkhipov’s short film debut, Fuel (2019), screened at numerous domestic and international events, winning awards, including recognition for best short at Kinotavr, Konik, and Kinoproba film festivals. His first feature film, Planet, premiered in the main competition at the Moscow International Film Festival.
Acting credits
Behind the camera
NRA film about Pavel Klushantsev (1910–1999), an outstanding Soviet director at the Lennauchfilm studio and creator of popular science films about space, who foresaw advancements in space exploration decades ahead. Drawing on unique documentary footage, the film traces Klushantsev’s life story. He endured revolutions, wars, professional triumphs, and dismissal from his beloved work, yet never lost faith in humanity’s boundless potential to build a better world.
Once Upon a Time in Leningrad
2025
2.0A man goes to search fuel for a broken-down tractor. But all around there is only the desert, grass and wind. To get the tractor to work, the hero starts a fight with an indifferent nature. When an energy source is found, the 20th century begins.
Fuel
2019
2.0A man goes to search fuel for a broken-down tractor. But all around there is only the desert, grass and wind. To get the tractor to work, the hero starts a fight with an indifferent nature. When an energy source is found, the 20th century begins.
Fuel
2019
NRAugust 1960. Director Nikolai Berentsev is working on a large-scale science fiction film about an expedition to Venus. The construction of grandiose decorations begins in the pavilion. Berentsev himself develops models of planets and spacecraft, comes up with special devices for combined filming. He tries to imagine and visualize something that no one has ever seen — life on other planets. He believes that fantasy should run ahead of science, but faces skepticism from colleagues and the scientific community. In the end, he himself begins to doubt whether his film is needed by the audience, why these dreams of Space, when there are so many unresolved problems on Earth.
The Planet
2026
NRAugust 1960. Director Nikolai Berentsev is working on a large-scale science fiction film about an expedition to Venus. The construction of grandiose decorations begins in the pavilion. Berentsev himself develops models of planets and spacecraft, comes up with special devices for combined filming. He tries to imagine and visualize something that no one has ever seen — life on other planets. He believes that fantasy should run ahead of science, but faces skepticism from colleagues and the scientific community. In the end, he himself begins to doubt whether his film is needed by the audience, why these dreams of Space, when there are so many unresolved problems on Earth.
The Planet
2026

