Discovery of Ukrainian Films from the 1920s

Students from the Kyiv National University of Theatre, Cinema and Television, Alyk Darman and Volodymyr Prylutskyi, have discovered two Ukrainian films from the 1920s in archival collections. Previously, it was believed that these films were only preserved in Russian archives.

According to the Dovzhenko Centre, the students found the films "Trypillia Tragedy" by Oleksandr Anod-Anochenko from 1926 and "The Secret of Rapid" by Pavlo Dolyna from 1930. Earlier, they also discovered the film "Karl Brunner" from 1936.

"These films are duplicates, part of a set of original materials for the movie. Positive prints for distribution are made from these materials. This is a unique case because we usually find only positives in other archives, while original materials are extremely rare. We have already planned to scan these films, so soon they will be available for viewing," said the head of the Dovzhenko Centre film archive, Tetiana Derkach.

"Trypillia Tragedy" is one of the oldest film discoveries in Ukraine in recent years, explains film scholar Oleh Olifer. The film was produced at the Yalta film factory of VUFKU.

The film depicts the Trypillia campaign of the Bolsheviks in 1919, a bloody chapter of the Ukrainian Revolution and Civil War from 1917 to 1921, which became a cornerstone in the history and mythology of the communist youth movement in the USSR," notes the film scholar.

This adventure genre film features numerous scenes of shootouts, fights, and battles with hundreds of extras, cavalry, and artillery. It particularly emphasizes the brutality of the insurgents against the Bolsheviks.

Despite its popularity among viewers, the film received low ratings from critics for its naturalism, banditry, and negative portrayal of Ukrainian peasants. The screenwriter, Hryhoriy Epik, would later be condemned and executed during Stalin's terror for "participating in a terrorist nationalist organization."

"The Secret of Rapid" was produced at the Kyiv film factory and is the first film by Pavlo Dolyna found in Ukraine.

Pavlo Dolyna is a significant Ukrainian director and actor from the 1920s and 1930s. He worked in Les Kurbas's Young Theatre, "Kiydramt", "Berezil", and more. He debuted as a film director at the age of 39 and, in the following five years, directed eight feature films at the Odesa and Kyiv film factories. Most of his works are now considered lost, with none digitized to date.

Following a critical article in the "Kino" magazine in 1932, Dolyna effectively left the feature film industry and transitioned to work at "Tehfilm", and after the war, he headed the Theatre Museum in Kyiv.

"The Secret of Rapid" portrays the typical sharp confrontation between the collective and the individual, between the "new" and the "old" in Soviet cinema.

The discovery of "The Secret of Rapid" is a long-awaited return for researchers and audiences. It provides an opportunity to revisit the Ukrainian film canon and engage with the work of one of the key authors of the VUFKU era beyond film criticism and scholarly texts. This previously unknown aspect of Ukrainian cinema will finally be visible on screen," says Oleh Olifer.