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Teaser for Historical Drama "Dovzhenko" Premieres at Cannes, Exploring Art and Resistance

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Dariia Mykhailenko
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Teaser for Historical Drama "Dovzhenko" Premieres at Cannes, Exploring Art and Resistance
Screenshot from the film “Dovzhenko”. (Source: Odesa Film Studio/Youtube)

The teaser for Dovzhenko, a historical drama directed by Kostiantyn Konovalov, was unveiled at the Marché du Film, part of the 78th Cannes International Film Festival. The project was presented by Odesa Film Studio during a panel titled “Biopic as a Tool for Decolonizing Ukrainian Culture and Soviet-Era History.”

The announcement was made by Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, on May 16.

Set in Odesa in 1926, the film follows a young Oleksandr Dovzhenko at the start of his cinematic journey. As the city emerges from upheaval, buzzing with jazz, ballet, and ambition, Dovzhenko arrives to create his first film, seeking artistic truth in an environment increasingly controlled by Soviet ideology.

Faced with demands from the NKVD  for propaganda over art, he finds solidarity with writer Yurii Yanovskyi, ballerina Ida Penzo, and film studio director Nechesa. Together, they embark on a bold effort to make a film about freedom, one that challenges the system.

“For our team, it’s deeply symbolic that Odesa Film Studio is producing a biopic about Dovzhenko, right where his filmmaking career began in 1926,” the filmmakers stated. “We plan to release the film in cinemas in honor of the 100th anniversary of his first feature.”

The teaser was well received by attendees and has already sparked interest from international distributors and film critics. Dovzhenko is slated for release in 2026.

Earlier, The 2025 Cannes Film Festival opened with a dedicated program titled “Ukraine Day,” spotlighting the ongoing war in Ukraine and the vital contributions of filmmakers and journalists in capturing its reality. Hosted at the Salle Bazin of the Palais des Festivals, the special screening featured three films, each presenting a unique perspective on Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

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The NKVD (People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs) was the interior ministry of the Soviet Union from 1934 to 1946. It was a powerful government agency responsible for state security and political repression, intelligence and counterintelligence, secret police operations, mass arrests, deportations, and executions, especially during Stalin's purges. The NKVD played a central role in enforcing Stalin’s totalitarian rule. It is often associated with widespread surveillance, censorship, and human rights abuses during the Soviet era.