The film was originally intended to mark Tarkovsky's 50th birthday in 1982, which would have been before his death in 1986.

Controversy with Soviet authorities about the film's style and content led to significant delays in the production.

[1] The film consists mostly of Sokurov's narration over stock footage from Tarkovsky's films The Mirror, Nostalghia, Voyage in Time, and The Sacrifice, as well as footage of Tarkovsky shot during production for The Sacrifice.

[2] The film was first screened at Dom Kino in Moscow in 1987 on Tarkovsky's birthday, and many Russian filmmakers and actors (for example Alexander Kaidanovsky) strongly disliked it.

[3] Tarkovsky has also been featured in numerous documentaries about the history of cinema or the craft and art of filmmaking.