From October 1st, one of the most anticipated Ukrainian films of the year, “Dovzhenko. First Look,” will be released in Ukrainian cinemas. The film will tell the story of director and writer Oleksandr Dovzhenko at the dawn of Ukrainian cinema.
Plot
Sunny Odesa, 1926. At the heart of the story is 32-year-old Oleksandr Dovzhenko, who arrives in Odesa to shoot his first film. He dreams of cinema as art, not a propaganda tool, but he encounters a system unwilling to allow an artist to speak freely in his own language.
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The trailer shows Dovzhenko at a moment when his dream of cinema is gradually turning into a struggle. The protagonist receives a telegram and travels to Odesa, where he meets people who will help him take his first steps in the world of cinema. The trailer also features one of the hero’s key dreams: “Hollywood on the Black Sea,” as he envisions the Odesa film studio. However, creative freedom comes at a price. Dovzhenko realizes that his desire to film in his own way could be dangerous: “Do you understand that you could be shot for this?” the film studio director, played by Bohdan Benyuk, tells him.
Oleksandr Dovzhenko
Oleksandr Dovzhenko is a figure indispensable to Ukrainian cinematography. A writer and playwright, he became fascinated with filmmaking in 1926 in Kharkiv, where he worked as a newspaper cartoonist and created film posters. It was then that he joined the Odesa film factory of VUFKU, mastering the art of film direction. Dovzhenko arrived in Odesa with a ready, effectively his first script, “The Tsar,” a satire on Mykola II, and even proposed this script to Charlie Chaplin.
Ultimately, he began his film career with the picture “The Diplomatic Bag.” The following year, the philosophical cinematic symphony about a grandfather and grandsons, “Zvenyhora,” brought Dovzhenko international fame. In 1929, he directed “Arsenal” – a film offered as a concession to the authorities, atoning for his time in the ranks of the Petliura forces. And a year later, Dovzhenko’s masterpiece, “Earth,” finally hit screens. This film, repeatedly ranked among the greatest films of all time, depicts a Ukrainian peasant paradise, with land as its foundation and core – an age-old Ukrainian idyll shattered by collectivization. The brilliant film was pulled from screening on its ninth day, accused of “grieving for the past,” and was banned in the USSR until 1958.
Who plays the lead role
The role of Oleksandr Dovzhenko is portrayed by 31-year-old Hryhoriy Baklanov, one of Ukraine’s most sought-after actors, known for his role as Lavrin in the series “Catching Kaydash” and for his theatre work. Baklanov’s most acclaimed theatre performance is in the play “I See You Are Interested in Darkness,” based on Illarion Pavliuk’s bestseller, staged by two collectives – the Zankovetska Theatre in Lviv and the Wild Theatre in Kyiv.
“Dovzhenko. First Look” plunges into the bohemian atmosphere of the Odesa film studio of the 1920s, which was a focal point for the young, vibrant, and creative people of that era. Among them were Dovzhenko’s friend, writer Yuriy Yanovskyi, author of the cult novel “The Master of the Ship” (played by Maksym Samchyk, known for the series “The First Swallows”), as well as ballerina Ida Penzo (Polina Vasylina), for whom both Dovzhenko and Yanovskyi fall in love.
About the Filming
It is symbolic that the film was shot in Odesa, at the Odesa Film Studio, where Oleksandr Dovzhenko himself began his cinematic journey exactly 100 years ago. It was important for the team to maintain historical accuracy, so 1920s film equipment, analog cameras, and lighting were used for the production, and the costumes were handcrafted with the involvement of historians specializing in 1920s fashion. The film’s director is Kostiantyn Konovalov, also known as a screenwriter for the films “Kruty 1918” and “The Guide.”
“Dovzhenko. First Look” will premiere in Ukrainian cinemas on October 1st.