
Oleksandr Dovzhenko
Biography
Oleksandr Petrovych Dovzhenko was a Ukrainian Soviet screenwriter, film producer and director. He is often cited as one of the most important early Soviet filmmakers, alongside Sergei Eisenstein, Dziga Vertov, and Vsevolod Pudovkin, as well as being a pioneer of Soviet montage theory.
Although Oleksandr Dovzhenko's parents were uneducated, his semi-literate grandfather encouraged him to study, leading him to become a teacher at the age of 19. Dovzhenko turned to film in 1926 when he landed in Odesa. His ambitious drive led to the production of his second-ever screenplay, Vasya the Reformer (which he also co-directed). He gained greater success with Zvenyhora in 1928 which established him as a major filmmaker of his era. His following "Ukraine Trilogy" (Zvenyhora, Arsenal, and Earth), although underappreciated by some contemporary Soviet critics (who found some of its realism counter-revolutionary), is his most well-known work in the West. For his film Shchors, Dovzhenko was awarded the Stalin Prize (1941); eight years later, in 1949, he was awarded another Stalin Prize for his film Michurin.
After spending several years writing, co-writing and producing films at Mosfilm Studios in Moscow, he turned to writing novels. Over a 20-year career, Dovzhenko personally directed only 7 films.
He was a mentor to the young Ukrainian Soviet filmmakers Larysa Shepitko and Sergei Parajanov. Dovzhenko died of a heart attack on November 25, 1956 in his dacha in Peredelkino. His wife, Yulia Solntseva, continued his legacy by producing films of her own and completing projects Dovzhenko was not able to create.
The Dovzhenko Film Studios in Kyiv were named after him in his honour following his death.
Acting (11 movies)

Our Cinema
1940

Sonata about the artist
1966

Dovzhenko. Diary. 1941-1945
1992

Larisa
1980

The Diplomatic Pouch
1927

How The Steel Was Tempered - On Screen and In Life
2007

Oleksandr Dovzhenko. The Contemplations After Life
1992

Oleksandr Dovzhenko. Odesa Dawn
2014

Dovzhenko. Ukrainian Homer of Cinema
2013

Triumph Over Violence
1965

O. Dovzhenko. The Great Compromise
2025
Directing (15 movies)

Earth
1930

Aerograd
1935

Zvenyhora
1928

Arsenal
1929

Shors
1939

Ivan
1932

The Diplomatic Pouch
1927

Love's Berries
1926

Life in Bloom
1949

Farewell, America!
1951

Bukovyna, Ukrainian Land
1939

Victory in Soviet Ukraine
1945

Ukraine in Flames
1943

Liberation
1940

Vasya, the Reformer
1926
| Title | Year | Job | 
|---|---|---|
| Vasya, the Reformer | 1926 | Writer | 
| Love's Berries | 1926 | Writer | 
| The Diplomatic Pouch | 1927 | Producer | 
| The Diplomatic Pouch | 1927 | Writer | 
| Zvenyhora | 1928 | Writer | 
| Arsenal | 1929 | Writer | 
| Arsenal | 1929 | Producer | 
| Earth | 1930 | Writer | 
| Aerograd | 1935 | Writer | 
| Shors | 1939 | Screenplay | 
| Liberation | 1940 | Screenplay | 
| Ukraine in Flames | 1943 | Writer | 
| Victory in Soviet Ukraine | 1945 | Writer | 
| Life in Bloom | 1949 | Writer | 
| Farewell, America! | 1951 | Screenplay | 
| Poem of the Sea | 1958 | Writer | 
| Chronicle of Flaming Years | 1961 | Writer | 
| The Golden Gates | 1971 | Writer | 
| Dovzhenko. Diary. 1941-1945 | 1992 | Writer | 
| Ukrainian Night of the 33rd | 1994 | Writer |