On September 14, Ukraine celebrates the Day of Ukrainian Cinema
Every year on the second Saturday of September, September 14, 2024, Ukraine celebrates the Day of Ukrainian Cinema. This holiday was established by the decree of President Leonid Kuchma on January 12, 1996. The decree defined this holiday as a professional day for cinematographers.
History of Ukrainian cinema
Ukrainian cinematography has a long and interesting history that began in the mid-1890s. The first film screenings in Ukraine took place in September 1896 in Kharkiv, when photographer Alfred Fedetsky filmed several documentary subjects and organized the first film showing.
In particular, Yosyp Timchenko, who developed devices for filming and projection as early as 1893, was ahead of the developments of the Lumiere brothers and Thomas Edison. The first Ukrainian feature film "Zaporizka Sich" was shot in 1911 by Danylo Sakhnenko. Important stages in history were the events of 1918, when the first Ukrainian state film company "Ukrainfilm" was created, and 1928, when a new film factory was opened in Kyiv, which later became the Oleksandr Dovzhenko Kyiv Film Studio.
Oleksandr Dovzhenko, a prominent film director, created ground-breaking films such as "Zvenigora" (1928) and "Zemlya" (1930), which became the basis for Ukrainian poetic cinema.
Interesting facts about Ukrainian cinema
- The first film screening in Ukraine took place thanks to Alfred Fedetsky in 1896.
- The first silent film "Zaporizka Sich" appeared in 1911, and in 1927 the first Ukrainian animated film "The Tale of the Straw Bull" was released.
- The first sound film "Enthusiasm. Donbass Symphony" was released in 1930 and made a great impression on Charlie Chaplin.
- "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors" by Serhii Paradzhanov (1964) won 39 international awards.
- The cartoon "How the Cossacks played football" became a favorite among the audience and was watched by Dynamo players before important matches.
- Since 1997, Ukrainian films have been regularly nominated for the Oscar, and in 2024, "20 Days in Mariupol" won Ukraine's first Oscar in the "Best Documentary" category.
- The first Ukrainian TV series "The Queen" was released in 1994.
Popular Ukrainian films
- "Home" (2019) : Tells about a Crimean Tatar family against the background of the war in Eastern Ukraine and the occupation of Crimea. The film won the Grand Prix at the 2019 OMCF.
- "Cyborgs" (2017) : A film about the heroism of the Ukrainian defenders of the Donetsk airport, based on real events.
- "Rhino" (2021) : Oleg Sentsov transported the viewer to the criminal world of the 1990s, exploring the hero's path that leads to violence.
- "Dovbush" (2023) : A historical adventure film about the struggle of the local inhabitants of the Carpathians with the Polish nobility in the 18th century, directed by Ukrainian director Oles Sanin.
The Day of Ukrainian Cinema is not only a celebration of the achievements of Ukrainian cinematography, but also an opportunity to appreciate its contribution to world culture and history.
