Russian film director Eldar Ryazanov dies

Russian film director Eldar Ryazanov died earlier today in Moscow at the age of 88.

Known for his films that satirised daily life in the Soviet Union, Ryazanov reportedly died of heart failure, having been admitted to hospital on 21 November.

His most celebrated films include The Irony of Fate (1976), which is still traditionally broadcast in Russia and the former Soviet republics every New Year’s Eve, Unbelievable Adventures of Italians in Russia (1974), and Office Romance (1977). Although his films often ridiculed Soviet bureaucracy, Ryazanov largely managed to avoid censorship.

The director continued to make films up until 2006.

Source: ABC News