Cinema of Ukraine


has had an influence on the history of the cinema. Prominent Ukrainian directors include Oleksandr Dovzhenko, Dziga Vertov and Serhiy Paradzhanov. Dovzhenko is often cited as one of the most important early Soviet filmmakers, as well as being a pioneer of Soviet montage theory and founding Dovzhenko Film Studios. In 1927 Dziga Vertov moved from Moscow to Ukraine. At the film studio VUFKU he made several avant-garde documentaries, among them The Eleventh Year, Man with a Movie Camera and first Ukrainian documentary sound film Enthusiasm . Paradzhanov was an Armenian film director and artist who made significant contributions to Ukrainian, Armenian and Georgian cinema; he invented his own cinematic style, Ukrainian poetic cinema, which was totally out of step with the guiding principles of socialist realism.
Other important directors include Kira Muratova, Larysa Shepitko, Serhiy Bondarchuk, Leonid Bykov, Yuriy Illienko, Leonid Osyka, Vyacheslav Krishtofovich, Roman Balayan, Sergiy Masloboyschikov, Ihor Podolchak and Maryna Vroda. Many Ukrainian actors have achieved international fame and critical success, including Vira Kholodna, Bohdan Stupka, Sergei Makovetsky, Mike Mazurki, Natalie Wood, Danny Kaye, Jack Palance, Milla Jovovich, Olga Kurylenko and Mila Kunis. Immigrants from Ukraine were the parents of Serge Gainsbourg, Leonard Nimoy, Vira Farmiga and Taissa Farmiga, grandparents - Steven Spielberg, Dustin Hoffman, Sylvester Stallone, Kirk Douglas, Leonardo DiCaprio, Winona Ryder, Whoopi Goldberg, Edward Dmytryk, Lenny Kravitz and Zoë Kravitz, illusionist David Copperfield, animator Bill Tytla.
Despite a history of important and successful productions, the industry has often been characterised by a debate about its identity and the level of Russian and European influence. Ukrainian producers are active in international co-productions, while Ukrainian actors, directors and crew feature regularly in Russian films. Successful films have been based on Ukrainian people, stories or events, including Battleship Potemkin, Man with a Movie Camera, and Everything Is Illuminated.
The Ukrainian State Film Agency owns National Oleksandr Dovzhenko Film Centre, film copying laboratory and archive, and takes part in hosting of the Odessa International Film Festival. Another festival, Molodist in Kiev, is the only FIAPF accredited International Film Festival held in Ukraine; the competition program has sections for student films, first short film, and first full feature films from all over the world. It is held annually in October.

History of the cinema in Ukraine

On the territory of Odesa film studio, there is a Museum of the Cinema, in which you can find out about many interesting facts on the history of the cinema in general and history of Ukrainian cinema as a part. Here you can find historic materials, from the invention of cinema, to the postmodern, digital and avant garde.

Films of Ukrainian SSR by ticket sales

Ukrainian titleEnglish titleYearTickets sold
НП – Надзвичайна пригодаE.A. — Extraordinary Accident195947.5
У бій ідуть лише «старі»Only Old Men Are Going to Battle197344.3
Вдалечінь від батьківщиниFar from the Motherland196042.0
Доля МариниMarina's Destiny195437.9
Подвиг розвідникаSecret Agent194722.73

Government and civil bodies concerned

is administrated by the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Association of Cinematographers.

Film studios

State owned

is a major Ukrainian film distributor; it is the local distributor of films by Walt Disney Pictures, Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Ukrainian Film Distribution is the local distributor of films by 20th Century Fox.
Kinomania is the local distributor of films by Warner Brothers.
Short films, festival winners and art house are mostly distributed by Arthouse traffic.
The newest website dalabase system for the artists is the

Festivals

Current awards

In 1987 Ukrainian engineer and animator Eugene Mamut together with three colleagues won the «Oscar» for the design and development of RGA / Oxberry Compu-Quad Special Effects Optical Printer for the movie «Predator»
In 2006 Ukrainian engineer and inventor Anatoliy Kokush was awarded two Oscars for the concept and development of the Ukrainian Arm gyro-stabilized camera crane and the Flight Head.

Former awards

AwardCategoryFilm titleYearDirector
Palme d'OrShort FilmThe Cross 2011Maryna Vroda
Palme d'OrShort FilmPodorozhni 2005Ihor Strembitskyi
Jury Prize Silver Bear at BerlinaleShort FilmIshov tramvai N°9 2003Stepan Koval
Panorama Award of the NYFA at BerlinaleShort FilmTyr 2001Taras Tomenko
FIPRESCI PrizeFIPRESCI AwardLebedyne Ozero - Zona 1990Yuriy Illienko
Award of the Youth at Cannes Film FestivalForeign FilmLebedyne Ozero - Zona 1990Yuriy Illienko

Top Ukrainian-language films by IMDb ratinghttps://www.imdb.com/language/uk?ref_=tt_dt_dt IMDb - Data as for September 2015

NameYearRatingLink
Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors19658.1
The Guide20147.9
Gámer20117.1
Brothers. The Final Confession20137.9
Unforgotten Shadows20136.7
Firecrosser20117.3
Delirium20137.5
Paradzhanov20136.8
Las Meninas20087.2

Actors

Ukrainian actors

Ukrainian directors