Dovzhenko. First Look (Довженко. Перший погляд)
The Ukrainian Film Club in Estonia invites you to Kino Sõprus on October 24 at 13:00 for a screening of the new Ukrainian film “Dovzhenko. First Look” — 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.
It is especially symbolic for us to present this film in Tallinn. It was here, at the PÖFF film festival in November 2025, that the film had its world premiere — to a completely sold-out audience.
About the film
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.
To recreate the atmosphere of the 1920s, the team used around 10 tonnes of authentic props. The sets of the 1926 Odesa Film Studio were recreated from archival drawings, while analogue film equipment from that era was specially restored for the production.
The film will be screened in Ukrainian with English subtitles.
