A prolific Russian director who studied under Sergei Eisenstein at the State Cinematography Institute in Moscow following World War II, Stanislav Rostotsky (born Stepan Stepanov) directed a wide variety of films that ranged from such deadly serious topics as WWII (Dawns Here Are All Quiet [1972]) to an Oscar-nominated film about a dog's life (White Bim Black Ear [1970]).
Rostotsky died of heart failure in the Russian city of Vyborg in August of 2001. He was 79.