DOVZHENKO. FIRST SIGHT

The Ukrainian Film Club in Estonia invites you to Kino Artis in Tallinn on November 1 at 16:30 for a screening of the new Ukrainian film “Dovzhenko. First Sight” — a biographical historical adventure drama directed by Kostiantyn Konovalov and dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the directorial debut of Oleksandr Dovzhenko, a classic of world cinema.

1926. Odesa. A city of jazz, ballet, boxing and great ambitions — a place where people dream of creating a “Hollywood on the Black Sea.”

Young Oleksandr Dovzhenko arrives at the Odesa Film Factory to make his first feature film. He wants to create genuine, free cinema — but almost immediately finds himself confronting a system that demands obedience rather than freedom from an artist.

Censorship, pressure from the secret services, the threat of arrest — and the need to choose between his own voice and the rules of a totalitarian state.

This is not only a story about the beginning of Oleksandr Dovzhenko’s creative journey. It is a story about artistic freedom, Ukrainian culture and the right to speak in one’s own voice, even when that voice is being silenced.

The story behind the making of the film gives it particular significance. Production lasted almost eight years: the project survived the pandemic and Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Two historic locations where the film was shot were later destroyed by Russian shelling — they are now preserved in the footage of this film.