20 movies about Ukrainian history that everyone should watch
Here are the most popular contemporary movies about Ukrainian history that everyone should watch at least once to understand the path Ukraine has taken and is still making in its struggle for independence.
The website also has selections of the best Ukrainian feature films and cartoons. In this article I would like to touch directly on the long-suffering history of our country.
Dovbush / “Довбуш”, 2023
The Ukrainian historical film tells the story of the most famous of the Carpathian Opryshky leaders, Oleksa Dovbush. The movie is one of the most expensive domestic film projects, with a budget of UAH 120 million.
The action takes place in the Carpathians in the early 18th century during the rule of the Polish gentry, which forces the Hutsuls to flee to the mountains. Two brothers, Oleksa and Ivan Dovbush, find themselves outlawed and become opryshky. In search of revenge for the murder of their parents, the brothers turn into enemies: one is interested in money, and the other in justice.
Shchedryk / “Щедрик”, 2023
The movie focuses on the destinies of children from three different families: Ukrainian, Polish, and Jewish, who live in the city of Stanislaviv (now Ivano-Frankivsk) and share a house.
The punitive regime of the Soviet Union deprives them of their parents in 1939, and later, during the Nazi occupation of the Third Reich, when Germany attacks Stalin’s empire during World War II, they experience all the hardships of enemy occupation.
Kruty 1918 / “Крути 1918”, 2019
This movie about Ukrainian history tells us a real story about the battle that took place at the Kruty railway station, 130 kilometers northeast of Kyiv, in 1918.
In the midst of important historical events for Ukraine, the drama of two brothers, Andriy and Oleksa Savytsky, who are in love with the attractive Sofia, unfolds. The UPR government sends four hundred young fighters, including the Savytsky brothers, to confront four thousand enemy forces in a struggle for power.
Mr. Jones / “Ціна правди”, 2019
This historical movie about the famine in Ukraine is based on the book by American writer Andrea Halupa. It covers the events that took place in Ukraine in 1932-1933 and became known as the Holodomor.
The viewer delves into Ukrainian history through the perspective of British journalist Gareth Jones (James Norton), who arrived in the Soviet Union in 1933 and traveled around the country without permission, uncovering the shocking truth about the regime’s crimes.
Cyborgs / “Кіборги”, 2017
This movie about Russia invading Ukraine tells us the story of people who, regardless of their education, profession or language, came to the Donetsk airport to defend Ukraine at the beginning of the war in 2014.
This is not just a war drama, but also a deep story about life values. The film reveals the reasons why our military are fighting, their thoughts and feelings. It depicts internal conflicts, love, friendship, and strength of spirit.
Donbass / “Донбас”, 2018
Serhiy Loznitsa’s movie about war in Ukraine tells the story of what is happening on the territory of Donbass region, which has become the site of military operations, shielded by Moscow. Russian soldiers are playing the role of Horlivka’s locals, coal trains are traveling to Russia, and the “new masters of life,” the “militia,” are robbing everyone who comes under their control, from ordinary people to local wealthy residents.
This is Loznitsa’s second film featuring characters from the “Russian world”. In the documentary Victory Day (2018), “night wolves” and other “hurray patriots” with “Novorossiya” flags and “St. George’s ribbons” celebrate May 9 in Berlin.
There will be people / “І будуть люди”, 2020
An epic miniseries that describes the Ukrainian history of the 20th century, telling it through the prism of the lives of ordinary people.
Each of the 12 episodes reveals a new story and a new hero who lived through the First World War, the revolution, and the Soviet occupation. We are used to seeing these events as a big picture, but There will be people project allows us to look at history from a more personal perspective, as if our grandmothers were telling us about it.
The secret diary of Symon Petliura / “Таємний щоденник Симона Петлюри”, 2018
The film was created by the Oleksandr Dovzhenko National Film Studio with the assistance of the Ukrainian State Film Agency. The movie tells the story of the life of Ukrainian historical figure, the head of the Directory and Chief Ataman of the Ukrainian People’s Republic, Symon Petliura, during the Ukrainian Revolution of 1917-1920, and his exile in Paris.
Particular attention is paid to the assassination of Petliura and the trial, the main idea of which was the desire of the Soviet authorities to forever stigmatize Ukrainian nationalists with accusations of anti-Semitism and Jewish pogroms.
The Forbidden / “Заборонений”, 2019
The film is dedicated to the last years of the life of Vasyl Stus, a prominent Ukrainian poet of the 20th century and a political prisoner of the Soviet regime.
Director Roman Brovko tried to depict Stus’s struggle with the system and his attempts to publish his last collection of poems, which he dreamed of delivering from prison to freedom.
The Guide / “Поводир”, 2013
Ukrainian historical movie about the tragic extermination of Ukrainian kobzars that took place before the Holodomor. The plot centers on a blind bandura player and an American boy whom the kobzar saved after his father died.
Filming began in 2007 and the premiere took place in 2014. Some cinemas in the eastern regions of Ukraine refused to show the film at the time, fearing possible terrorist attacks, and critics with a Russophile orientation called the film “agitation.” This reaction emphasizes the importance of the film, which received a high rating on IMDb — 7.9 — and became an important step in the creation of movies about the true Ukrainian history of the 20th century.
King Danylo / “Король Данило”, 2018
The film tells the story of the events of 1238, when Prince Danylo and his brother Vasyl set out to attack a castle located on the border. The inhabitants of this castle serve an unknown order, but thanks to Danylo’s cunning, they manage to capture the master. He convinces the king to become an ally in the fight against the enemy from the East, Batu Khan, whom the master had warned Danylo about.
As a result, the enemies captured Kyiv, and Danylo realized that he cannot retreat and that he must act…
A Prayer for Hetman Mazepa / “Молитва за гетьмана Мазепу”, 2001
A Ukrainian feature film directed by Yuriy Illienko, shot at the Dovzhenko Film Studio in Kyiv. It is the first full-length and big-budget film since Ukraine’s independence. The film ranks 36th in the list of the 100 best films in the history of Ukrainian cinema.
The plot is based on a “knife fight” between the historical antagonists — Peter I, who desecrates the sarcophagus of Ivan Mazepa, and Hetman Ivan himself. Mazepa rises from the grave to tell his story, primarily the one related to the struggle between the two states. The movie was banned from being shown in Russia.
Unconquered / “Нескорений”, 2000
This film tells the story of Roman Shukhevych, a battalion general who led the UPA for several years after the end of World War II and fought against the Soviet punitive forces for Western Ukraine.
This is a powerful movie about an extremely strong personality that reveals the true story of the postwar West. In addition, it highlights the last days of the life of the famous Roman Shukhevych, who made a significant contribution to the struggle for Ukrainian independence and became one of the most famous Ukrainian generals.
Bohdan Zynoviy Khmelnytsky / “Богдан-Зиновій Хмельницький”, 2006
The feature movie reveals one of the most important moments in Cossack history — the battle of Zbarazh, which took place during the Ukrainians struggle for freedom.
Under the command of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, the Cossacks besiege Zbarazh, facing the enemy of Ukraine, Yarema Vyshnevetsky. Everything goes well, until the moment of betrayal by an ally, the Crimean Khan. Khmelnytsky faces a difficult choice between a bloody victory and a shameful peace.
The Rising Hawk / “Захар Беркут”, 2019
The Ukrainian-American film is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Ivan Franko. It tells the story of the Carpathian Mountains, which were reached in 1210 by the Mongol horde in an attempt to conquer the land.
Although the legend of the 300 Spartans belongs to Greek culture, it has been told so many times in Ukrainian history that it is time to change its name. A small community of mountain hunters under the leadership of the wise Zakhar Berkut defends themselves against the numerous hordes of the Khan of Burundi. The main emphasis of the movie is that our strength is in unity.
Bitter harvest / “Гіркі жнива”, 2017
The Canadian movie about famine in Ukraine became the first English-language movie about the Holodomor to be shot with the consultation of historians and the involvement of Ukrainian experts. The plot tells the story of a peasant artist who gives up his dream and joins the uprisings during the Holodomor.
Filming began in 2013 during Yanukovych’s presidency, which is why the subject of the film was kept secret. Later, the movie crew experienced the Revolution of Dignity together with Ukrainians and managed to complete the filming openly, mostly on the territory of the Pirogovo Museum.
Haytarma / “Хайтарма”, 2013
The movie tells the story of Stalin’s deportation of the Crimean Tatars, which took place in May 1944.
This tragic story is told through the experience of the famous pilot, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Crimean Tatar Amet Khan Sultan. After the liberation of Crimea from the Nazi occupiers, the military command allowed Ame Khan and his comrades to visit their relatives in the village of Alupka. By chance, the NKVD’s operation to forcibly deport Crimean Tatars took place at the same time as the pilots were in the village. The Soviet ace, whom the German pilots feared, failed to protect his people from the crime of the Stalinist regime.
The Age of Jacob / “Століття Якова”, 2016
The miniseries is based on the novel of the same name by Ukrainian writer Volodymyr Lys. The plot tells the story of Ukraine through the life of a long-lived Volyn peasant, Yakov Mekh. He was born in the Russian Empire and lived to a ripe old age in modern independent Ukraine. His life is marked by wars, captivity, loss of loved ones and deep love.
The series is set in the West, where Poles used to rule. The plot has two parallel lines: the first is Jacob’s younger years, and the second is his modern life. This historical series makes viewers think about many aspects of life, reconsider their priorities, and start appreciating every moment.
The black raven / “Чорний ворон”, 2019
The movie about Ukrainian history is set in 1922. Ivan, a former officer in the Ukrainian People’s Republic army known as “Raven,” arrives at his father’s farm with his pregnant wife. They hope for a new life, but when they arrive at the train station, they realize that they will not be safe here.
Ivan witnesses a GPU regiment with Chekists getting off the train, who are assigned to suppress the Kholodny Yar uprising. Ivan’s father is arrested, and the officer himself is forced to break into the trust of the rebels and work as an agent from the inside.
Golden September. Chronicle of Galicia in 1939 / “Золотий вересень. Хроніка Галичини 1939”, 2010
The Ukrainian history documentary about Galicia is directed by Taras Khymych. He invites viewers to recall western Ukraine, which until 1939 was part of Poland, but starting in September of that year, as a result of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, was attacked by Soviet troops who established their power there through repression.
In his work, the director not only used archival material, but also enriched the film with interviews with eyewitnesses of those events.
