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An error has ocurred. Please try againUkraine, now the largest continental European state, over years enriched the world of cinema with films by such figures as Dovzhenko, Dziga Vertov and Kira Muratova. Tarkovksky's family (as his father) is from Ukraine and the Master himself loved to spend time in Ukraine as his place of power and inspiration where he shot his first film. There, in the Carpathian Mountains and based on Ivan Chendej's script, Sergei Parajanov and his team created the masterpiece "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors".
Soviet era Ukrainian filmmakers such as Larisa Shepitko, Kira Muratova, and Yuriy Ilyenko followed with films of great inner resonance of their transformational time. Nowadays, besides films by ever-present commercial filmmakers, you might be interested in films by mainstream autor directors such as Valentyn Vasyanovych and Oleg Sentsov, or a leading indie (and most awarded Ukrainian director since 1990s) filmmaker Slavik Bihun.
Learn more about the inspiring Ukraine through the work of these and other directors as well as new, listed non-exhaustively and randomly, generations of Ukrainian directors. Welcome to the contemporary world of new powerful Ukraine, which is now as never before fighting for its independence, and the cinema it presents.
There are over 1K Ukrainian filmmakers listed on IMDb. This list is a tentative metric giving some understanding about the success and reception of films by Ukrainian filmmakers (not only film directors), mainly in terms of festival awards - the quality of their contribution to the world of cinema. (NB: Though many filmmakers from older times are not listed here as there were no many festival awards at the time.)
The threshold: two awards or one award and two nominations (or more).
ATTN: The list is tentative and being updated.
See the current ranking in terms of awards only at https://www.imdb.com/list/ls565995125
See other annual lists to track the progress: 2019 Awards List: https://www.imdb.com/list/ls093134611 2020 Awards List: https://www.imdb.com/list/ls091935490 2021 Awards List: https://www.imdb.com/list/ls505302939 2022 Awards List: https://www.imdb.com/list/ls565136494 2023 Awards List: https://www.imdb.com/list/ls523345983
(There are more topical films, the list profiles IMDb entries.)
Reviews
Ameerika mäed (1994)
A fine Estonian film by Peeter Simm which is rare to spot
This well-crafted movie by a legendary Estonian film director is a rare gem to see. It was screened on 27 January 2016 in Tallinn at the local Baltic Film and Media School in the presence of its director. Peeter Simm is well-known as a director of one of classic Estonian films, "Ideal Landscape" ("Ideaalmaastik") (1981), a drama about post-WWII Estonia depicting conscientious man's struggles between the regime and moral norms. A former VGIK graduate, an Andrei Tarkovsky's intern (during the times of "Stalker"), he is presently the head of the national film union and an influential film teacher. Surely, the film in question does not bring about any philosophical questions per se, but it is definitely is a fine movie in terms of directing, cinematography and acting. And it is entertaining. All in the audience were pleased with it, which is uncommon and perhaps unexpected. But nevertheless it is exactly the reason to make note of this remarkable film with the hope you can also enjoy it one day.