Ukrainian Movies and Films Resources

The first Ukrainian Movie studio appeared in Kyiv in 1911. It was in 1928 that a new cinema factory was put into operation in the city. Now, it is known as O.Dovzhenko National Film Studio of Feature Films. This is the studio that gave birth to remarkable works of Ukrainian Movie art such as ‘The eleventh’ by D.Vertov, ‘The Land’ and ‘Ivan’ by O.Dovzhenko. ‘Bohdan Khmelnytsky’, ‘Taras Shevchenko’ by I.Savchenko and ‘Perekop’ and ‘Koliyivshchyna’ and ‘Prometheus’, ‘Hryhoriy Skovoroda’ by I.Kavaleridze were also products of the same Film Studio.

It was again in Kyiv between the 1960s and the 1980s that the Ukrainian school of poetical cinema was formed. This school continued and deepened O.Dovzhenko's traditions. It was also responsible for giving impetus to the emergence of metaphorical cinema in other Republics of the USSR.

Metaphorical films then became the most popular and won the recognition. Some of the well-acclaimed metaphorical Ukrainian Movies are ‘Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors’ by S.Paradzhanov and ‘Dream’ by V.Denysenko. A few other worth the mention are ‘Well for the Thirsty’’ by Yu.Illyenko and ‘Stone Cross’ and ‘Those who will survive they will finish off loving’ by L.Osyka. Other Ukrainian movies that used metaphor extensively are ‘White Bird with Black Sign’ by Yu.Illyenko and I.Mykolaychuk and ‘Only Old-Timers will Go into Fight’ by L.Bykov.

Many International reputable and prestigious awards were granted to S.Paradzhanov's film ‘Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors’. This movie was ranked along with two other Ukrainian movies called ‘Babylon XX’ by I. Mykolaychuk and ‘The Lost Deed’ by B.Ivchenko, among the classics of the Ukrainian cinematography.

International acclaim was also won by some of the movies made in Ukraine in the late 1980s and the early 1990s. This was also the first time in the history of the Ukrainian cinema that a movie won the awards of the most world-prestigious film festival in Cannes in 1990.

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