Film-portrait in Ukrainian Documentary Filmmaking Art

The purpose of the article is an attempt to outline the main ideological and thematic tendencies that prevail in the films created in the genre of documentary film-portrait. The research field of the article is based on the content produced by the Ukrainian Studio of Chronicle and Documentary Films over the period of 2003–2005. The article concerns the features of the film-portrait genre, its varieties and modifications. The research methodology consisted in the application of the methods of scientific analysis in order to elucidate the manifestation of interpretations of the documentary film-portrait genre. The subject of the study was motion pictures by the following documentary filmmakers: Volodymyr Artemenko, Yevhen Honcharov, Vadym Yermolenko, Heorhii Davydenko, and Inna Dernova. Based on their films, the author considered the degree of the manipulative in the relationship between the author and the hero, regarding the process of creating a film-portrait as a mutual experience that is important for both parties. Conclusions. Focusing on the modes of creation and perception by the filmmakers of the hero of their film, the author concluded that making a documentary film-portrait is a responsible choice not only for the author but also for their hero. The analysis of the documentary motion pictures by the “Ukrkinokhronika” studio revealed an obvious tendency towards expanding the scope of the film-portrait genre, which is created by each director in their own way, and demonstrated the ultimate need for creating portraits within the range of additional genres, depending on the purpose of the director’s plan