Odesa Film Studio

Odesa Film Studio is the Ukrainian, formerly Soviet film studio in Odesa, one of the first in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. It is partially owned by a government and supervised by the Department of State property fund of Ukraine together with the Ministry of Culture. Together with Dovzhenko Film Studios they are the only state-owned and major film producers in the country. The studio is located at Frantsuzky bulvar 33 (33 French Boulevard), Odesa, Ukraine. In a close vicinity to it is located a smaller film studio House of Mask. History and reorganization It was founded on 23 May 1919 by the decision of the Odesa Governorate Executive Committee, Ukrainian SSR out of the remnants of cinema studios of Myron Grossman, Dmitriy Kharitonov, and Borisov. This date was the day of birth of the first in the country state film studio. At first, it was listed as "Political film section of political department and of 41st Division of the Red Army", and the first feature film filmed here was the "Spiders and flies." The original studios went into decline after the Russian Civil War and the Ukrainian War of Independence, as their owners emigrated, running from political prosecution. Grossman's film studio "Myrograph" existed in Odesa since 1907 and was the oldest one recorded in Ukraine. In 1922, "film sektion" was reorganized into Odesa Film Factory of All-Ukrainian Photo Cinema Administration (VUFKU). The Odesa film studio, which was VUFKU’s main production facility, underwent extensive renovations. The studio purchased its new modern equipment in the West, allowing the studio to shoot, light, and process the film stock using state-of-the-art technology. In 1926, Vyacheslav Levandovskyi and Deviatkin created an animation studio of VUFKU. In 1930, VUFKU was reorganized into "Ukrainafilm" of "Soyuzkino" (Union-cinema). From 1938 to 1941 - Odesa film studio. During the years of the Second World War (Eastern Front 1941-1945) it was a part of the Tashkent Film Studio. 1954 - again works in Odesa. In 1955, the Odesa Film Studio resumed its own film production. Director Alexander Gorky not only obtained permission to revive the studio, but also solved the personnel problem by inviting VGIK graduates — directors, cameramen, artists, and economists. Then the former students, who usually went for years as assistants, quickly got independent work.