Vladislav Mikosha (1909-2004) really lived the shifting 20th century. At a young age, while working as a cinema projectionist, he saw the silent film Nanook of the North and realized that he simply had to become a cinematographer. After the invasion of the Soviet Union by German forces, he documented the horrors of WWII in Sevastopol. In spring 1943, the turbulent times brought him to Hollywood, where he met Ingrid Bergman and danced with Hedy Lamarr, a great star at the time. Charlie Chaplin invited him to a film screening in his home, and was deeply moved by Mikosha's footage from the front.