Eldar Ryazanov's diploma work was the documentary "They Study in Moscow," which he made with fellow student Zoya Fomina. After graduating, he worked on documentaries for another five years, until his film "Sakhalin Island" won a prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1955. This earned him an invitation to work at Mosfilm, where he began directing feature films. His debut feature film was "Carnival Night," which was seen by over 48 million viewers in its first year alone. Read about 15 VGIK graduates who changed Russian cinema:
