The Dovzhenko Centre’s collection has been replenished with exceptional acquisitions found in a garbage dump. Among the finds are more than 200 unique photographs, more than 800 negative films, as well as VHS and DVD cassettes, which record the family and professional life of the married couple Volodymyr and Adelina Khmelnytsky: film director, teacher, screenwriter and editor.
These items were accidentally found and donated to the archive by composer Oleksii Mudriievskyi and artist Yaroslav Futymskyi.
‘We accidentally stumbled upon the archive with my friend and housemate, who, among other things, works with photography. He noticed the negatives in the garbage and took a few to see what they contained, but as we were rummaging through the garbage, we realised that there were not just a few random negatives, but this huge archive,’ commented Oleksii.
‘It is not known who was the last person to own the objects of valuable film heritage and why they decided to get rid of them, but Ukrainian film history is very lucky that by coincidence they were noticed and transferred to the collection for storage and study,’ the Dovzhenko Centre comments. Therefore, they urge you to share valuable artefacts related to Ukrainian cinema. These can be photos, negatives, posters, storyboards, sketches, dolls, costumes, film equipment, films. To donate them to the Centre’s collection, please contact keeper@dovzhenkocentre.org.
