Kievnauchfilm (russian: Киевнаучфильм), also Kyivnaukfilm ( uk, Київнаукфільм, translit=Kyïvnaukfil′m), translated as Kyiv Science Film, was a film studio in the former
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
located in
Kyiv
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe.
Kyi ...
,
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...
. Although it was created in 1941 to produce popular science films, it eventually became best known for its animated films, and remained active in Ukrainian animation for decades.
documentaries
A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in term ...
covering a broad range of topics. In 1959, Kyivnaukfilm (an abbreviation for "Kyiv Science Films"), under Hippolyte Lazarchuk expanded into animation. In addition, it released 342
animated films
Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...
, a large number of which are still popular today, such as a series about
Zaporozhian Cossacks
The Zaporozhian Cossacks, Zaporozhian Cossack Army, Zaporozhian Host, (, or uk, Військо Запорізьке, translit=Viisko Zaporizke, translit-std=ungegn, label=none) or simply Zaporozhians ( uk, Запорожці, translit=Zaporoz ...
Treasure Island
''Treasure Island'' (originally titled ''The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys''Hammond, J. R. 1984. "Treasure Island." In ''A Robert Louis Stevenson Companion'', Palgrave Macmillan Literary Companions. London: Palgrave Macmillan. .) is an adventure no ...
'' (all three directed by David Cherkassky). The studio's films received numerous awards at international and national film festivals, such as the World Festival of Animated Film in Zagreb for Iryna Hurvych's '' How Women Sold Men'' and the Animated Film Festival in New York.
Film director Felix Sobolev (''Animals' Tongue, I and Others, Can Animals Think?'') and studio Editor-in-Chief Yevheniy Zahdanskyi are considered to be trailblazers and figures of major influence in the documentary field in the former
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
. By 1966 the studio released over 400 films annually.
With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Kyivnauchfilm went into decline and was renamed
National Cinematheque of Ukraine
National Cinematheque of Ukraine ( ua, Національна кінематека України (НКУ)) is a Ukrainian film studio that came out of the well-known Kievnauchfilm after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
History
In the earl ...
, and spun off the animation division under the name "Ukranimafilm".
In 1993 Kievnauchfilm produced '' Unknown Ukraine: Sketches of Our History'', a series of 104 films presenting a comprehensive history of Ukraine.
Animation
*''
Doctor Aybolit
Doctor Aybolit (russian: Доктор Айболит, ''Doktor Aibolit'') is a fictional character from the children's poems ''Aybolit'' (1929) and ''Barmaley'' (1925) by Korney Chukovsky, as well as from the children's fantastic novella ''Doctor ...
'', director David Cherkassky
*'' Cossacks'' series (1967-1995), director Volodymyr Dakhno.
**How Cossacks cooked Kulish («Как казаки кулеш варили», 1967)
**How Cossacks played football («Как казаки в футбол играли», 1970)
**How Cossacks rescued the brides («Как казаки невест выручали», 1973)
**How Cossacks bought the salt («Как казаки соль покупали», 1975)
**How Cossacks became the Olympians («Как казаки олимпийцами стали», 1978)
**How Cossacks helped the Musketeers («Как казаки мушкетёрам помогали», 1979)
**How Cossacks enjoyed the wedding («Как казаки на свадьбе гуляли», 1984)
**How Cossacks met the aliens («Как казаки инопланетян встречали», 1987)
**How Cossacks played hockey («Как казаки в хоккей играли», 1995)
* Chelovik, kotoryi umel tvorit' chudesa - adaptation of
The Man Who Could Work Miracles
''The Man Who Could Work Miracles'' is a 1937 London Films British fantasy-comedy film directed by Lothar Mendes and produced by Alexander Korda. The film stars Roland Young with a cast of supporting players including Sir Ralph Richardson. ...
Through the Looking Glass
''Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There'' (also known as ''Alice Through the Looking-Glass'' or simply ''Through the Looking-Glass'') is a novel published on 27 December 1871 (though indicated as 1872) by Lewis Carroll and the ...
'' (1981)
*Как было написано первое письмо / '' How the First Letter Was Written'' (1984)
*Встреча/ '' The Meeting'' (1984)
* Srazhenie (Russian: Сражение - meaning "Battle"; adaptation of Stephen King's short story " Battleground", directed by Mikhail Titov. (1986)
* Три Паньки series (1989-1991)
**Три Панька (1989)
**Три Панька хозяйствуют (1990)
**Три Панька на ярмарке (1991)
*Остров сокровищ / ''
Treasure Island
''Treasure Island'' (originally titled ''The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys''Hammond, J. R. 1984. "Treasure Island." In ''A Robert Louis Stevenson Companion'', Palgrave Macmillan Literary Companions. London: Palgrave Macmillan. .) is an adventure no ...
'' (1988), director David Cherkassky
Popular science / documentaries
*The Blown up Dawn, Взорванный рассвет, 1965, director Felix Sobolev
*Animals' Language, Язык животных, 1967, director Felix Sobolev
*Seven Steps beyond Horizon, Семь шагов за горизонт, 1968, director Felix Sobolev
*Can Animals Think? Думают ли животные? 1970, director Felix Sobolev
*Myself and Others, Я и другие, 1971, director Felix Sobolev
*Indian yogis. Who are they? Индийские йоги — кто они? 1970, director Almar Serebryanikov
*Echo of our Emotions, Луна наших эмоций (1977)
*People and Dolphins, Люди и дельфины (1983), director Volodymyr Khmelnytskyi
*Vavilov's Star, Звезда Вавилова, 1984, director Anatoliy Borsuk, screenwriter
Serhiy Dyachenko
Spouses Maryna Yuryivna Dyachenko (born 23 January 1968) and Serhiy Serhiyovych Dyachenko (14 April 1945 – 5 May 2022) (Marina Yuryevna Dyachenko (Shirshova) and Sergey Sergeyevich Dyachenko) (rus. Марина и Сергей Дяченко, ...
*Экспертиза одной сенсации, 1985, (about
pseudoscience
Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable clai ...
), director Lev Vdovenko
*A Footprint, Отпечаток, 1985, director Anatoliy Borsuk
*A Man from 6am through Midnight, Человек с шести до полуночи, 1987, (about everyday struggles of a young professional engineer in the Soviet Union), director
Andrei Zagdansky
Andrei Zagdansky (born March 9, 1956) is an transnational independent documentary filmmaker and producer originally from Ukraine.
Biography
Zagdansky attended Kiev State Institute of Theatrical Arts, graduating in 1979. He worked as a film directo ...
* Interpretation of Dreams, Толкование сновидений, 1989, (Freudian interpretation and "equation" of
communism
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a ...
and
nazism
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) i ...
) director Andrei Zagdansky
*Rauol Valenberg's Mission, Миссия Рауля Валенберга, 1990, director
Alexander Rodnyansky
Alexander Yefymovych Rodnyansky ( uk, Олекса́ндр Юхи́мович Родня́нський, Oleksandr Yukhymovych Rodnianskyi; born July 2, 1961) is a Ukrainian film director, film producer, television executive and businessman. As a me ...