Ukrainian directors — Українські кінорежисери

Aleksandr Dovzhenko was born on 10 September 1894 in Vyunishche, Sosnitsa Ueyzd, Chernigov Governorate, Russian Empire [now Sosnitsa, Sosnitsa Raion, Chernihiv Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a writer and director, known for Earth (1930), Shors (1939) and Life in Bloom (1949). He was married to Yuliya Solntseva. He died on 25 November 1956 in Moscow, Russian SFSR, USSR [now Russia].

The most famous Soviet film-maker since Sergei Eisenstein, Andrei Tarkovsky (the son of noted poet Arseniy Tarkovsky) studied music and Arabic in Moscow before enrolling in the Soviet film school VGIK. He shot to international attention with his first feature, Ivan's Childhood (1962), which won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival. This resulted in high expectations for his second feature Andrei Rublev (1966), which was banned by the Soviet authorities for two years. It was shown at the 1969 Cannes Film Festival at four o'clock in the morning on the last day, in order to prevent it from winning a prize - but it won one nonetheless, and was eventually distributed abroad partly to enable the authorities to save face. Solaris (1972), had an easier ride, being acclaimed by many in Europe and North America as the Soviet answer to Kubrick's '2001' (though Tarkovsky himself was never too fond of his own film nor Kubrick's), but he ran into official trouble again with Mirror (1975), a dense, personal web of autobiographical memories with a radically innovative plot structure. Stalker (1979) had to be completely reshot on a dramatically reduced budget after an accident in the laboratory destroyed the first version, and after Nostalghia (1983), shot in Italy (with official approval), Tarkovsky defected to Europe. His last film, The Sacrifice (1986) was shot in Sweden with many of Ingmar Bergman's regular collaborators, and won an almost unprecedented four prizes at the Cannes Film Festival. He died of lung cancer at the end of the year. Two years later link=Sergei Parajanov dedicated his film Ashik Kerib to Tarkovsky.

Kira Muratova was born on 5 November 1934 in Soroca, Romania [now Moldova]. She was a director and writer, known for Nastroyshchik (2004), Vtorostepennye lyudi (2001) and The Asthenic Syndrome (1989). She was married to Aleksandr Muratov and Yevgeni Golubenko. She died on 6 June 2018 in Odessa, Ukraine.

One of the 20th century's greatest masters of cinema Sergei Parajanov was born in Georgia to Armenian parents and it was always unlikely that his work would conform to the strict socialist realism that Soviet authorities preferred. After studying film and music, Parajanov became an assistant director at the Dovzhenko studios in Kyiv, making his directorial debut in 1954, following that with numerous shorts and features, all of which he subsequently dismissed as "garbage". However, in 1964 he was able to make Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1965), a rhapsodic celebration of Ukrainian folk culture, and the world discovered a startling and idiosyncratic new talent. He followed this up with the even more innovative The Color of Pomegranates (1969) (which explored the art and poetry of his native Armenia in a series of stunningly beautiful tableaux), but by this stage the authorities had had enough, and Paradjanov spent most of the 1970s in prison on almost certainly rigged charges of "homosexuality and illegal trafficking in religious icons". However, with the coming of perestroika, he was able to make The Legend of Suram Fortress (1985), Ashik Kerib (1988) and The Confession, which survives as Parajanov: The Last Spring (1992), before succumbing to cancer in 1990.

Yuri Ilyenko was born on 18 July 1936 in Cherkassy, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Cherkasy, Ukraine]. He was a director and writer, known for Swan Lake: The Zone (1990), Bilyy ptakh z chornoyu oznakoyu (1971) and Vechir na Ivana Kupala (1968). He was married to Lyudmila Efimenko and Larisa Kadochnikova. He died on 15 June 2010 in Prokhorivka, Cherkasy Oblast, Ukraine.

Roman Balayan was born on 15 April 1941 in Nerkin Horatagh, Nagorno-Karabakh AO, Azerbaijan SSR, USSR. He is a director and writer, known for Khrani menya, moy talisman (1986), Biryuk (1978) and Dve luny, tri solntsa (1998).

Vyacheslav Bihun is known for Last Shooting (2023), Vinum (2022) and How Can I Not Love You (2017).

Larisa Shepitko was born on 6 January 1938 in Bakhmut, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine]. She was a director and writer, known for The Ascent (1977), Heat (1963) and You and Me (1971). She was married to Elem Klimov. She died on 2 July 1979 in near Redkino, Kalinin Oblast, Russian SFSR, USSR.

Dziga Vertov was born on 2 January 1896 in Bialystok, Grodno Governorate, Russian Empire [now Podlaskie, Poland]. He was a director and writer, known for Man with a Movie Camera (1929), Three Songs About Lenin (1934) and The Sixth Part of the World (1926). He was married to Elizaveta Svilova. He died on 12 February 1954 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia].

Feliks Sobolev is known for U istokov chelovechestva (1976), Na pritsele vash mozg (1984) and Yazyk zhyvotnykh (1967).

Leonid Osyka was born on 8 March 1940 in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Ukraine]. He was a director and writer, known for Hetmanski kleinody (1993), Did Livogo Kraynogo (1973) and Trevozhnyy mesyats Veresen (1977). He died on 16 September 2001 in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Ivan Mykolaichuk is a Ukrainian movie actor (34 roles), director of two movies and screen writer of nine movies. He was born in a family of peasants in a village of Chortoryia in Western Ukraine. Ivan Mykolaichuk finished the Chernivtsi Music College and the theater-studio of Olha Kobylianska Chernivtsi Music-Drama Theater. Graduated from Ukrainian National University of Theater, Film and TV of Karpenko-Karyi in 1965. He became famous after he had played the leading role in Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1965).

Valentyn Vasyanovych was born on 21 July 1971 in Zhytomyr, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Ukraine]. He is a producer and editor, known for Atlantis (2019), Black Level (2017) and Reflection (2021).

Oleh Sentsov was born on 13 July 1976 in Simferopol, Ukrainian SSR, USSR. He is a director and writer, known for Rhino (2021), Gamer (2011) and Numbers (2020). He was previously married to Alla.

Born in Kyiv (Ukraine) in 1974, Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi graduated from the filmmaking department of the Kyiv National I. K. Karpenko-Kary Theatre, Cinema and Television University, majoring in feature film directing. He has worked at various Ukrainian film studios in Kyiv (such as the Dovzhenko Film Studio) and Russian film studios in St. Petersburg (such as the Lenfilm Studios). He also worked as a script writer on numerous TV films and published a number of stories, one of which The Chornobyl Robinson won the prize of the All-Ukrainian Script Contest Coronation of the Word (2000). His debut short "The Intsydent" has competed in 25 festivals in 17 countries. His second feature film "Diagnosis" has been nominated for Golden Bear. His latest short film "Deafness" is his second Berlinale outing that got him another Golden Bear nomination. In autumn 2010 Myroslav received a grant to create his first full-length feature film 'The Tribe" from the Hubert Bals Fund of Rotterdam Film Festival. In 2012, Myroslav won the Silver Leopard of the Locarno Film Festival's competition program "Pardi di domani" for his film "Nuclear Waste". "Nuclear Waste" was nominated for an EFA Award in 2013. His latest film, "The Tribe" (2014), won the Nespresso Grand Prize for La Semaine de la Critique in 2014.

Nikolay Mashchenko was born on 12 January 1929 in Melovatka, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Luhansk Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a director and writer, known for Komisary (1971), Khochu verit (1965) and Venchaniye so smertyu (1992). He died on 2 May 2013 in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Sergei Maslobojshchikov was born on 18 August 1957 in Kiev, Ukraine, USSR. He is a director and writer, known for Yasa (2024), ... from Bulgakov (1999) and Shum vetra (2002).

Marina Stepanska is known for Desaturated (2019), Falling (2017) and Man's Work (2015).

Iryna Tsilyk is known for The Earth Is Blue as an Orange (2020), Rock Paper Grenade (2022) and Home (2016).

Andrey Vinnitskiy is known for Solnechnoe plemya (1944).

Taras Tkachenko is known for The Nest of the Turtledove (2016), Kobzar. Istoriya odniyeyi knyhy (2014) and Mama (2021).

Oles Sanin is known for Dovbush (2023), The Guide (2014) and Anna (2019).

Eva Neymann is known for Song of Songs (2015), House with a Turret (2012) and U reki (2007).

Oleksandr Balagura is known for Giorni di primavera (2010).

Vasile Avramenko was born in 1895 in Ukraine. He was a producer and director, known for Natalka Poltavka (1937), Zaporozhets za Dunayem (1939) and The Tragedy of Carpatho-Ukraine (1940). He died in 1981.