The Dovzhenko Film Studios (Ukrainian: Національна кіностудія художніх фільмів імені О. Довженка, translit. Natsional'na kinostudiya khudozhnikh filmiv imeni O. Dovzhenka) is a former Soviet film production studio in Ukraine that was named after the Soviet film producer, Oleksandr Dovzhenko, in 1957. With the fall of the Soviet Union, the studio became a property of the government of Ukraine. In 2000, the film studio was awarded national status.^[1]

History

Main entrance to Dovzhenko Film Studios

The studios began in the 1920s when the All-Ukrainian Photo-Cinema-Directorate (VUFKU) announced a project proposition for the construction of a cinema factory in 1925. Out of 20 of them was chosen the project of Valerian Rykov, who led his architect group composed of students of the Architectural Department of Kyiv Art Institute in the construction of the O. Dovzhenko Film Studios beginning in 1927. It was at the time the largest in the Ukrainian SSR. Although the filming pavilions were still unfinished a year later, movie production had begun. Many memorial plates are within the studios in memory of the many film producers who had once worked here. One film pavilion is named Shchorsivskyi, because Oleksandr Dovzhenko shot his film Shchors there. This area of the studios is used as a museum.^[2]

The first movie of the film studio was "Ivanko and the Butcher" by director Aksel Lundin and cameraman A. Meines. Filming began on October 12, 1927, and took place at night, as pavilions were being built during the day. Many talented directors have come to the studio since the first films were shot — Oleksandr Dovzhenko, Arnold Kordium, Pavlo Dolyna, Leonid Lukov, Ivan Kavaleridze, Igor Savchenko, Favst Lopatynskyi; operators — Danylo Demutskyi, Yurii Yekelchyk, Mykola Topchii, Yozef Rona, I. Shekker, Oleksii Pankratiev; writers — Mykola Bazhan, Oleksandr Korniichuk, Hordii Brasiuk, V. Okhrimenko. It immediately affected the number and quality of the works and the variety of movie genres. In 1929, 10 films were already made.

Since 1930, cinema has become under the control of the state and has served to spread the ideology of communism among the population. Still, the 1930s for the Kyiv Film Factory were important years of formation.

In October 1941, the studio was evacuated to Tashkent, where it will continue its activities until the liberation of Kyiv. During the German occupation of Kyiv, the studio premises were used as a production base for the creation of propaganda films by the Ukraine Film Society.

The apple orchard on the side of the avenue near the studios was planted by the order of Dovzhenko himself. In 1957, it was named in memory of Oleksandr Dovzhenko.^[3]

Since 1987, the Debut, specialized in the first films of directors. His managers were Alexander Adolov (until 1990) and Arthur Voattsky (after 1990).

In December 2009, a studio for the digital restoration of Ukrainian films was opened on the complex.^[4]

The Dovzhenko National Film Studio is an enterprise with a full complex technological cycle. Along with the shooting of its own films, the film studio provides services to other film and television companies in the production of their products, belongs to the producers of national films in Ukraine, approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine from January 26, 2011 № 48.

Selected films

See also

• Kyivnaukfilm
• List of Ukrainian films
• National Cinematheque of Ukraine
• Odessa Film Studio
• History of Ukrainian animation

References

• Ruta Malikenaite. Guildebook: Touring Kyiv. Kyiv: Baltia Druk, 2003. ISBN 966-96041-3-3

External links

• Media related to Dovzhenko Film Studios at Wikimedia Commons
• (in Russian) Non-official site of Olexandr Dovzhenko Film Studios