Andrei Tarkovsky's final film was released in Sweden on 9 May 1986 (Tarkovsky had been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and had begun treatment in January 1986. He died on 29 December at the age of 54).
His third film after leaving the Soviet Union, Tarkovsky had been invited to make the film in Sweden, and used many of Ingmar Bergman's collaborators, including Erland Josephson, cinematographer (Sven Nykvist, who turned down the opportunity to direct Out of Africa, and how donated his salary to the production budget), production designer Anna Asp, and Bergman's son, Daniel, who worked as a camera assistant.
Offret (The Sacrifice) was screened at Cannes on 12 May, and received the Grand Prix, and the Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique Prize (as well as a Palme d'Or nomination).
