Odessa Film Studio

Odessa Film Studio (Ukrainian: Одеська кіностудія художніх фільмів) is the first film studio established in Ukraine (Odessa). It is partially owned by a government and supervised by the Department of State property fund of Ukraine together with the Ministry of Culture. Together with Dovzhenko Film Studios they are the only state-owned and major film producers in the country. The studio is located at Frantsuzky bulvar 33 (33 French Boulevard), Odessa, Ukraine. In a close vicinity to it is located a smaller film studio House of Mask.

History

It was founded on May 23, 1919 by the decision of the Odessa Governorate Executive Committee out of the remnants of cinema studios of Grossman, Kharitonov, and Borisov. The original studios went into decline after the Russian Civil War and the Ukrainian War of Independence as their owners emigrated running from political prosecutions. The Grossman's film studio "Myrograph" existed in Odessa since 1907 and was the oldest one recorded in Ukraine.

In August 1919 Vladimir Lenin signed the Decree for Nationalization. On March 13, 1922 all film studios of Ukraine and Crimea were subordinated to the All-Ukrainian Photo-Cinema Directory (VUFKU). The directory united both Odessa and Yalta film studios (latter was created out of the Khanzhonkov Film Studios). On December 1, 1928 VUFKU created Kiev Film Studios (or VUFKU-Kiev) which later became known as the Dovzhenko Film Studios. With the creation of a film studio in Kiev, the center of the cinematography shifted there as well. In 1926 Vyacheslav Levandovskyi and Deviatkin created an animation studio of VUFKU. In 1930 VUFKU was reorganized into Ukrainafilm of "Soyuzkino" (Union-cinema).

Description

The studio is located in the downtown right near the shore of Black Sea covering some 7 hectares (17 acres) and consisting of three pavilions of 600 square metres (6,500 sq ft), 432 square metres (4,650 sq ft), and 240 square metres (2,600 sq ft). Inside the studio's building is located another film studio, Vira Kholodna Film Studio and the Odessa Film School. The Odessa Film Studio has its own movie theater, U-Cinema, which is also located in the same building.

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

Selected directors

1919-1925

• Myron Grossman (1908-1918) (considered a founder of Odessa cinematography)
• Les Kurbas (1922-1925)
• Georgiy Tasin, the first studio director in 1922

1926-1936

• Aleksandr Dovzhenko
• Isaak Babel

1936-1954

• Vladimir Braun
• Amvrosiy Buchma

1955-1965

• Kira Muratova and Oleksandr Muratov
• Vadym Kostromenko, currently the director of the museum
• Vadym Avloshenko

1966-1996

• Stanislav Govorukhin
• Natalya Zbandut (Medyuk)
• Mykhailo Kats

Selected actors

1919-1925

• Vera Kholodnaya (1914-1919) (featured in 35 films)
• Daria Zerkalova

1926-1936

• Natalya Uzhviy
• Matviy Lyarov

1966-1996

• Vladimir Vysotsky

Others

• Samvel Gasparov

External links

• Odessa Film Studio (USSR) at the Internet Movie Database
• Odessa Film Studio (Ukraine) at the Internet Movie Database
• Official website of Odessa film studio
• Non-official website Odessa film studio