The Ukrainian Film Club in Estonia invites you to Forum Cinemas in Riga on October 18 at 17:00 for a screening of the new Ukrainian film “Dovzhenko. First Sight” — a biographical historical adventure drama directed by Kostiantyn Konovalov, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the directorial debut of Oleksandr Dovzhenko, one of the great figures of world cinema.
📅 October 18 | 17:00
📍 Forum Cinemas, Riga
It is especially meaningful for us that Riga will be the first city where the Ukrainian Film Club presents this film as part of a series of international screenings.
On October 24, audiences in Tallinn and Tartu will also have the opportunity to see the film, with screenings in Lithuania planned to follow.
The film's international journey has a special connection to Estonia. Its world premiere took place at the PÖFF film festival in Tallinn in November 2025, where the screening was completely sold out.
Following that premiere, work on the film continued for almost another year. The film has only recently premiered in Ukraine, and now it is beginning its international journey.
🎥 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 dreams of creating authentic, 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 others try to silence it.
The story behind the making of the film gives it particular significance.
Production lasted almost eight years. The project survived both the pandemic and Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Two historic filming locations were later destroyed by Russian shelling — they are now preserved in the footage of this film.
To recreate the atmosphere of the 1920s, the production team used approximately 10 tonnes of authentic props. The sets depicting the Odesa Film Studio of 1926 were recreated using 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.
Genre: Historical adventure drama, biopic
Cast: Hryhorii Baklanov, Maksym Samchyk, Polina Vasylyna, Bohdan Beniuk, Roman Yasinovskyi
Director: Kostiantyn Konovalov
⏱ Running time: 1 hour 40 minutes
🎬 AND THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING!
Following the Riga premiere, “Dovzhenko. First Sight” will be screened in Estonia on October 24:
🇪🇪 Tallinn — October 24, 13:00 | Kino Sõprus
🇪🇪 Tartu — October 24, 15:00 | Elektriteater
We are also preparing screenings in Lithuania.
🔴 The screening is organised by the Association of Ukrainian Organizations in Estonia as part of the “Ukrainian Film Club in Estonia” project.
Don't leave buying your tickets until the last minute!
💙💛 See you at Forum Cinemas in Riga on October 18 at 17:00! 🇺🇦🇱🇻
Forum Cinemas • 13. janvāra iela 8, 1050 Rīga, Latvia
