In his latest essay Reid Rosefelt recalls his publicity association with legendary director Andrei Tarkovsky, the great Russian director who had less than 54 years on the planet.

Myron and Geoff Bresnick of Grange Communications “took Tarkovsky to the Telluride Festival, where they put on a big tribute for him in the Opera House,” he writes. “As soon as we got there, the festival directors Bill Pence and Tom Luddy whisked him away to points unknown. See ya! I thought that was a bit extreme as the Bresnicks had gone to the great expense and hassle of bringing him to the U.S., as well as to Telluride.

“The idea of Telluride at that time was that publicity was strictly verboten, and publicists like me, while not completely persona non grata, weren’t supposed to work while they were there. Telluride opened up that policy years ago, but then it took a major effort just to locate Tarkovsky and meet my commitment for one measly phone interview. But the thing that really drove me nuts about the whole Telluride experience is that they programmed Ivan’s Childhood, the one Tarkovsky film I hadn’t seen, at the same time as the Tarkovsky tribute!

“But the tribute was amazing, as all Telluride tributes are. And after the festival ended, Geoff drove me back to Denver at what seemed like 150 mph the whole way, which now that I think of it is a perfect way to top off watching a lot of Tarkovsky films.”