Grigory Naumovich Chukhray (russian: Григо́рий Нау́мович Чухра́й; uk, Григорiй Наумович Чухрай; 23 May 1921 – 28 October 2001) was a Ukrainian Soviet and Russian

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, pr ...

and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

People's Artist of the USSR People's Artist of the USSR ( rus, Народный артист СССР, Narodny artist SSSR), also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to artists of the Soviet Union. Nomenclature and significa ...

(1981).Cinema: Encyclopedic Dictionary // main editor

Sergei Yutkevich Sergei Iosifovich Yutkevich (russian: Серге́й Ио́сифович Ютке́вич, 28 December 1904 – 23 April 1985) was a Soviet and Russian film director and screenwriter. He was a People's Artist of the USSR (1962) and a Hero of ...

(1987). — Moscow: Soviet Encyclopedia, 640 pages He's the father of the Russian film director

Pavel Chukhray Pavel Grigoryevich Chukhray (russian: Па́вел Григо́рьевич Чухра́й; Bykovo, Ramensky District, Moscow Oblast, Bykovo, Moscow Oblast, October 14, 1946) is a Soviet and Russian film director and screenwriter. He is the s ...

Early life

Grigory Chukhray was born in

Melitopol Melitopol ( uk, Меліто́поль, translit=Melitópol’, ; russian: Мелитополь; based on el, Μελιτόπολις - "honey city") is a city and municipality in Zaporizhzhia Oblast in southeastern Ukraine. Melitopol has been ...

(modern-day

Zaporizhzhia Oblast Zaporizhzhia Oblast ( uk, Запорі́зька о́бласть, translit=Zaporizka oblast), also referred to as Zaporizhzhia ( uk, Запорі́жжя, links=no), is an oblast (province) of southeast Ukraine. Its capital is Zaporizhzhia. The ...

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...

) to

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...

soldiers Naum Zinovievich Rubanov and Claudia Petrovna Chukhray. He was of

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

origin.Grigori Chukrai, ''My Cinema''. Moscow, 2001, 98 p. His parents divorced when he was three years old. He was raised by a stepfather, Pavel Antonovich Litvinenko, the head of

kolkhoz A kolkhoz ( rus, колхо́з, a=ru-kolkhoz.ogg, p=kɐlˈxos) was a form of collective farm in the Soviet Union. Kolkhozes existed along with state farms or sovkhoz., a contraction of советское хозяйство, soviet ownership or ...

. His mother Claudia Chukhray took an active part in the

collectivization Collective farming and communal farming are various types of, "agricultural production in which multiple farmers run their holdings as a joint enterprise". There are two broad types of communal farms: agricultural cooperatives, in which member- ...

and

dekulakization Dekulakization (russian: раскулачивание, ''raskulachivanie''; uk, розкуркулення, ''rozkurkulennia'') was the Soviet campaign of political repressions, including arrests, deportations, or executions of millions of kul ...

of the

Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...

, then worked as an investigation officer at

militsiya ''Militsiya'' ( rus, милиция, , mʲɪˈlʲitsɨjə) was the name of the police forces in the Soviet Union (until 1991) and in several Eastern Bloc countries (1945–1992), as well as in the non-aligned SFR Yugoslavia (1945–1992). The ...

. In 1939, he was drafted to the army. A decorated veteran of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, Chukhray's wartime experiences profoundly affected him and the majority of his films. He served in the 229th separate communications battalion of the 134th Infantry Division (later part of the 19th Army). He fought at the

Southern Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

Stalingrad Volgograd ( rus, Волгогра́д, a=ru-Volgograd.ogg, p=vəɫɡɐˈɡrat), formerly Tsaritsyn (russian: Цари́цын, Tsarítsyn, label=none; ) (1589–1925), and Stalingrad (russian: Сталингра́д, Stalingrád, label=none; ) ...

and Don Fronts. From 1943 on, he served in airborne troops at the

1st First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

, 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts and took part in operation "Dnipro Troopers". He was wounded three times. In 1944, he joined the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of '' The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engel ...

Career

At war's end, he studied filmmaking at

VGIK The Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography (russian: Всероссийский государственный институт кинематографии имени С. А. Герасимова, meaning ''All-Russian State Institute of Cinemat ...

, the course led by

and Mikhail Romm, and then developed his skills as a director's assistant at the

Kiev Film Studio The Dovzhenko Film Studios ( uk, Національна кіностудія художніх фільмів імені О. Довженка, translit. ''Natsional'na kinostudiya khudozhnikh filmiv imeni O. Dovzhenka'') is a former Soviet film ...

. By the mid-1950s, he began writing and directing his own films at the

Mosfilm Mosfilm (russian: Мосфильм, ''Mosfil’m'' ) is a film studio which is among the largest and oldest in the Russian Federation and in Europe. Founded in 1924 in the USSR as a production unit of that nation's film monopoly, its output inclu ...

studio, gaining cinematic recognition outside the Soviet Union at the 1957

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...

with his film '' The Forty-First'' (1956). Chukhray directed and co-wrote ''

Ballad of a Soldier ''Ballad of a Soldier'' (russian: Баллада о солдате, ''Ballada o soldate''), is a 1959 Soviet film directed by Grigory Chukhray and starring Vladimir Ivashov and Zhanna Prokhorenko. While set during World War II, ''Ballad of a ...

'' (1959). Around the themes of love and the tragedy of war, the film received acclaim at home, earning the Lenin Prize. It was heralded internationally for both its story and cinematic technique. At the 1960

it was awarded a special jury prize for "high humanism and outstanding quality." ''Ballad of a Soldier'' premiered in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

in 1960 at the

San Francisco International Film Festival The San Francisco International Film Festival (abbreviated as SFIFF), organized by the San Francisco Film Society, is held each spring for two weeks, presenting around 200 films from over 50 countries. The festival highlights current trends in i ...

. The film won the Festival's Golden Gate Award, for Best Picture and for Best Director for Grigory Chukhray. Playing worldwide, the following year, it earned the

BAFTA Award for Best Film The BAFTA Award for Best Film is given annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and presented at the British Academy Film Awards. It has been given since the 1st BAFTA Awards, representing the best films of 1947, but until 1 ...

. Grigory Chukhray and script co-writer

Valentin Yezhov Valentin Ivanovich Yezhov (russian: Валентин Иванович Ежов; 21 January 1921 Samara — 8 May 2004 Moscow) was a Soviet and Russian screenwriter, playwright, writer and professor at VGIK.

were also nominated for the 1961

Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best Story. Beginning with th ...

. Chukhray's next film was '' Clear Skies'' (1961). It told the story of a Soviet pilot who had survived

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

imprisonment during the war, but was accused of spying. It was one of the first Soviet films to deal with some of the repressive practices under the Soviet leadership of

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet Union, Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as Ge ...

. It won the Grand Prix (in a tie with Kaneto Shindo's '' The Naked Island'') at the

2nd Moscow International Film Festival The 2nd Moscow International Film Festival was held from 9 to 23 July 1961. The Grand Prix was shared between the Japanese film ''The Naked Island'' directed by Kaneto Shindo and the Soviet film '' Clear Skies'' directed by Grigori Chukhrai. Ju ...

. Two years later Chukhray served as the President of the Jury at the 3rd Moscow International Film Festival. Between 1966 and 1971, Chukhray headed the director's courses at

. In 1965, he founded and headed the Experimental Studio at Mosfilm that produced such films as '' White Sun of the Desert'' (1970), ''

The Twelve Chairs ''The Twelve Chairs'' ( rus, Двенадцать стульев, Dvenadtsat stulyev) is a classic satirical novel by the Odesan Soviet authors Ilf and Petrov, published in 1928. Its plot follows characters attempting to obtain jewelry hidden ...

'' (1971), '' Ivan Vasilievich: Back to the Future'' (1973), '' A Slave of Love'' (1976), and other popular movies. He also served as a member of the

State Committee for Cinematography Goskino USSR (russian: link=Yes, Госкино СССР) is the abbreviated name for the USSR State Committee for Cinematography (Государственный комитет по кинематографии СССР) in the Soviet Union. It w ...

between 1964 and 1991. In 1984, Chukhray directed his final Soviet film, together with Yuri Shvyryov: ''I'll Teach You to Dream''. In 1992—1993, he and

Rolf Schübel Rolf Schübel (born 11 November 1942 in Stuttgart, Germany) is a German film director and screenwriter. Schübel studied literature and sociology during the 1960s, first in Tübingen, and later in Hamburg. There he met filmmaker Theo Gallehr an ...

co-directed ''Todfeinde. Vom Sterben und Überleben in Stalingrad'', a joined Russian-Germany documentary in two parts about the

Battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II where Nazi Germany and its allies unsuccessfully fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (later r ...

. In this film Chukhray as well as other Russian and German survivors told about their experiences during the battle. In 1994, Chukhray was awarded a Nika Award for his lifetime contribution to cinema.Григорий Наумович Чухрай (1921-2001)
/ref> In 2001, he published two volumes of memoirs entitled ''My War'' and ''My Cinema'', dedicated to his war experience and his work in cinema, respectively. He was married to Iraida Chukhray (née Penkova), a teacher of Russian language and literature. They had two children:

(born 1946), a Russian director, and Elena Chukhray (born 1961), an expert in

film studies Film studies is an academic discipline that deals with various theoretical, historical, and critical approaches to cinema as an art form and a medium. It is sometimes subsumed within media studies and is often compared to television studies. ...

. Grigory Chukhray died of heart failure in Moscow in 2001 at the age of eighty. He was buried at the

Vagankovo Cemetery Vagankovo Cemetery (russian: Ваганьковское кладбище, Vagan'kovskoye kladbishche), established in 1771, is located in the Presnya district of Moscow. It started in the aftermath of the Moscow plague riot of 1771 outside the ci ...

Honours and awards

People's Artist of the RSFSR People's Artist of the RSFSR (russian: Народный артист РСФСР, ''Narodnyj artist RSFSR'') was an honorary title granted to Soviet Union artists, including theatre and film directors, choreographers, music performers, and orchest ...

* Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 4th class *

Order of the Patriotic War The Order of the Patriotic War (russian: Орден Отечественной войны, Orden Otechestvennoy voiny) is a Soviet military decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to partisan ...

, 1st class *Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd class *Three Orders of the Red Banner of Labour *

Order of the Red Star The Order of the Red Star (russian: Орден Красной Звезды, Orden Krasnoy Zvezdy) was a military decoration of the Soviet Union. It was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 6 April 193 ...

Medal "For the Defence of Stalingrad" The Medal "For the Defence of Stalingrad" (russian: Медаль «За оборону Сталинграда») was a World War II campaign medal of the Soviet Union. Medal history The Medal "For the Defence of Stalingrad" was established o ...

Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" The Medal "For the Victory Over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" (russian: Медаль «За победу над Германией в Великой Отечественной войне 1941—1945 гг.») was a military dec ...

* Medal "For the Capture of Vienna" *

Jubilee Medal "Twenty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" The Jubilee Medal "Twenty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" (russian: Юбилейная медаль «Двадцать лет Победы в Великой Отечественной войне 1941–1945 гг.») was a ...

Jubilee Medal "Thirty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" The Jubilee Medal "Thirty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" (russian: Юбилейная медаль «Тридцать лет Победы в Великой Отечественной войне 1941–1945 гг.») was a ...

Jubilee Medal "In Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin" The Jubilee Medal "In Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin" (russian: link=no, Юбилейная медаль В ознаменование 100-летия со дня рождения Владимира И ...

* Nika Award

Filmography

References

External links

*
Ballad of a Film-Director: Grigori Chukhrai
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chukhrai, Grigori 1921 births 2001 deaths People from Melitopol Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography alumni Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography faculty High Courses for Scriptwriters and Film Directors faculty Bodil Award winners Nastro d'Argento winners People's Artists of the RSFSR People's Artists of the USSR Lenin Prize winners Recipients of the Medal of Zhukov Recipients of the Nika Award Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 4th class Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Recipients of the Order of the Red Star Personnel of the Soviet Airborne Forces Russian people of Ukrainian descent Russian film directors 20th-century Russian screenwriters Male screenwriters 20th-century Russian male writers Soviet film directors Soviet military personnel of World War II Soviet screenwriters Ukrainian film directors Ukrainian screenwriters Burials at Vagankovo Cemetery