September 14th Ukraine celebrates Ukrainian Cinema Day
Every year on the second Saturday of September, September 14, 2024, Ukraine celebrates Ukrainian Cinema Day. This holiday was established by 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 cinema has a long and interesting history, beginning in the mid-1890s. The first film screenings in Ukraine took place in September 1896 in Kharkiv, when photographer Alfred Fedetsky filmed several documentary films and organized the first film screening.
In particular, Joseph Tymchenko, who developed film-making and projection devices as early as 1893, was ahead of the developments of the Lumiere brothers and Thomas Edison. The first Ukrainian feature film, Zaporizhzhia 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 opened in Kyiv, which later became the Kyiv Film Studio named after Oleksandr Dovzhenko.
Oleksandr Dovzhenko, a prominent film director, created groundbreaking films such as "Zvenygora" (1928) and "Earth" (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 "Zaporizhzhya 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. Symphony of the Donbass," was released in 1930 and made a great impression on Charlie Chaplin.
- Sergei Parajanov's Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1964) received 39 international awards.
- The cartoon "How the Cossacks Played Football" became a favorite among viewers and was watched by Dynamo players before important matches.
- Since 1997, Ukrainian films have been regularly nominated for the Oscars, and in 2024, “20 Days in Mariupol” received Ukraine’s first Oscar in the Best Documentary category.
- The first Ukrainian TV series "The Princess" was released in 1994.
Popular Ukrainian films
- "Home" (2019) : Tells the story of a Crimean Tatar family against the backdrop of the war in Eastern Ukraine and the occupation of Crimea. The film won the Grand Prix at the 2019 OIFF.
- "Cyborgs" (2017) : A film about the heroism of the Ukrainian defenders of 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 to violence.
- "Dovbush" (2023) : A historical adventure film about the struggle of local residents of the Carpathians against the Polish nobility in the 18th century, directed by Ukrainian director Oles Sanin.
Ukrainian Cinema Day is not only a celebration of the achievements of domestic cinema, but also an opportunity to appreciate its contribution to world culture and history.
