National Oleksandr Dovzhenko Film Centre
National Oleksandr Dovzhenko Centre is a state enterprise that integrates the State Film Archive of Feature Films and the Film Copying Laboratory. De facto, Dovzhenko Centre is the state Ukrainian Film Archihe, the National Film Fund. It is the only Member of the International Federation of Film Archives(FIAF) in Ukraine.
History
The need to create a state film archive arose upon Ukraine's independence. Before 1991 all the negative prints of all films produced in Ukraine were sent to be stored at the All-Union State Film Fund of USSR (Gosfilmofond). After declaration of Ukrainian independence all negative prints of the new films remained to be stored at the studies which produced them.
National Oleksandr Dovzhenko Centre was created on September 10, 1994 under the Decree of the President of Ukraine «On events to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Oleksandr Dovzhenko» and the Decree of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine from November 1, 1994 «On creation of the National Centre of Oleksandr Dovzhenko in Kyiv». In 1999 National Oleksandr Dovzhenko Centre was merged with the Kyiv Film Copying factory according to the order № 161 of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine.
Since 2006, the Dovzhenko Centre is a Member of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF).
Dovzhenko Centre is subordinate to the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine and the State Film Agency of Ukraine.
Film Laboratory
The Dovzhenko Centre embraces the only state film copying laboratory in Ukraine, which employs highly qualified professionals with immense experience. Our company has 60 years of experience in handling film prints, which we are proud of. Here the first color films in the Soviet Union Grunya Kurnakova and Mikado Palace were made, as well as panoramic and widescreen positive prints for many countries in Europe, Asia and Africa were printed.
Already in independent Ukraine, such Ukrainian films as Mamay (by Oles Sanin), A Prayer for Hetman Mazepa (by Yurii Ilienko), Shtolnya (by Lyubomyr Levytskyi), Effect of Presence (by Leonid Pavlovskyi), At the River (by Eva Neuman) and others were edited and printed at the Centre.
The oldest film in Dovzhenko Centre's funds dates back to 1910. The oldest feature film produced in Soviet Ukraine was made in 1922.
Mission
Dovzhenko Centre is the only state enterprise in Ukraine responsible for preservation, restoration, research and increase of the National Ukrainian Film Fund. It carries out researches in the field of cinematography, publishing specialized photo albums, booklets, books and articles on the history of cinema, as well as film magazines. One of the main aims of the Centre is to promote Ukrainian cinema.
According to the Law on Cinematography, all the negative prints of Ukrainian films created on public funds (including coproduction) are to be stored at Dovzhenko Centre.
Activity
During 2007-2010 Dovzhenko Centre funded restoration of the films by Oleksandr Dovzhenko, Ivan Mykolaychuk, Yurii Illienko, which were subsequently released on DVD. Due to the format of gift sets, these collections were not on sale and remained inaccessible to the public.
Since 2011 Dovzhenko Center has initiated a program to promote Ukrainian cinema: every two month KOLO DZIGI performances silent film screenings accompanied by live contemporary music are held, several times a year retrospectives of Ukrainian cinema classics are organized, etc.