Alexander Mitta, one of the leading directors of Soviet and post-Soviet cinema, has died in Moscow aged 92, his family said. The filmmaker, whose career spanned more than six decades, was born Alexander Rabinovich in 1933 and had been active in both feature and animated film as well as teaching at the All-Russian State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK). Mitta’s 1979 blockbuster “Air Crew,” widely regarded as the first Soviet disaster movie, broke domestic box-office records and became a touchstone for later Russian genre films. His 1991 drama “Lost in Siberia” was nominated for a Golden Globe, giving rare international exposure to Russian cinema during the final months of the USSR. Earlier in his career he won the Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion for “They’re Calling, Open the Door,” demonstrating his ability to combine humanist storytelling with technical innovation. Mitta also worked as a screenwriter, animator and producer, and mentored several generations of Russian directors. Details of funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.