Centre of National Film is a cessionary of the world-famous nonfiction film studio TPO Tsentrnauchfilm, whose films were awarded with prestigious international prizes.
Among the directors who made the studio’s name famous are Alexander Zguridi, Boris Dolin, Vladimir Shneiderov, Uriy Aldohin, Leonid Antonov, Dmitriy Bogolepov, Nikolay Chigorin, Semion Raitburg, Yakov Mirimov, Agasy Babayan, Vadim Vinogradov, Vladimir Kobrin, Evgeniy Ostashenko, Elena Sakanyan, and Grigoriy Chertov.
Studio history
The history of the Centrnauchfilm started in 1933. After it was founded, the studio changed several names such as Mostekhfilm (1933-1944), Moscow Nonfiction Film Studio (1944-1966), Centrnauchfilm (1966-2004), Centre of National Film (2004).
More than 10 thousand popular scientific, technical-propagandistic, educational, advertising, and feature films were created on film-studio Tsentrnauchfilm since it was established in 1933. These films were highly acclaimed not only in our country but widely abroad as well.
It is enough to enumerate the classical samples created in due time by the studio: "The Forest True Story", "The History of One Ring", "Мiclucho-Maclay"(Russian naturalist 19 century), "Dersu Usala"(a famous Russian East territory explorer), "The Trail of Disinterested Love", "Wild life of Gondvana", "The Manuscripts by Pushkin". The studio also produced most popular film-magazines "The Science and Engineering" , "The Secrets of Nature", and favorite to children, film-almanac "I want to Know All", and many other. The first sound, wide screen, panoramic, and poly screen films were shot at this studio; the unique technologies and techniques of the domestic macro and micro shooting were created and developed by the same studio.
When the World War Two began, the studio was renamed as Voentechfilm (Wartechfilm). A lot of the studio workers left for the front; the remaining produced films about civil defense, field medicine, and army tactics. The films "were at war" with the army because the studio produced many military films to serve them. In 1944, Stalin awarded the studio with the Order of the Battle Red Star for its massive contribution in the organization and improvement the Red Army structure.
The shooting of geographical films proceeded in 1946 under the management of Vladimir Shneiderov, who became the first television anchor conducting "The Club of Film Travels". The most successful film "The Iona s Island" received the premium in the Venice festival in 1947. The film by Boris Dolin, "The Beast Trail also received a gold medal in this festival. The wide international resonance had the Dolin s next film "The History of One Ring" and film "The Forest True Story" by Alexander Zguridy, who later was the first anchor of the telecasts "Life of Animals".
Since 1947, the studio workers have been shooting the creation of space-rocket engineering, later, the tests of an anti-missile defense systems (since 1960) and other kinds military equipment. With the beginning "The Government Nuclear Project" the studio was connected to these activities. Since the first nuclear explosion the special film crew conducted film-registration of the bomb-tests. The government watched these top-secret informational films; some of these unique documentaries were edited for the ordinary citizens. A lot of foreign intelligent services hunted for this exclusive material, but they could find nothing: there were no betrayals among the studio coworkers. The carefully edited versions about peaceful use of atomic energy were screened triumphally worldwide and were awarded prizes in the international film-festival in Venice in 1957.
Some films required creation and development of special engineering for shooting and sound recording. In 1956, wide-screen stereo film "Comrade" Leaves for the Sea" was awarded by Big Prize in the Cannes festival for high quality stereo sound (sound technician Beck-Nazarov). Also, International festivals prizes marked some films in 1957. The film "The Victory Peak" has received a prize in the Sixth International film-festival in Trento, Italy. International awarded The film "The Development of Reflex Activity in Ontogenesis" won a prize in the Eighteen film-festival documentaries and educational films in Venice(1957).
In 1965, the film "The Bewitched Islands" by Alexander Zguridy received the prize on XXVI Venice festival. These prizes were just a fragment of the numerous awards claimed by the studio in the international festivals.
During the 60’s the Studio became the Europe largest enterprise specialized in production of educational and popular science films. Changes took place within the structure of the Studio itself. With full force, the work expanded in 6 production and creative departments – "Orbita (the Orbit)", "Raduga (the Rainbow)", "Department of Geographical Films", "Progress", "Cosmos" and "Department of Education Films". Considerable amount of production was formed by releasing advertising production, financed by the off studio budget means.
During 1980’s the facility developed into a powerful film industry, whose staff consisted of about 100 directors, same amount of cinematographers, a large number of production managers and other personnel. In accordance with the new declared model of nonfiction films, new creative and production departments were established - "Orbita (the Orbit)", "Yabloko (the Apple)", "Podvigi Geraklov (the Hercules’ Feats)", "Zov (the Call)", "Chetvertoe Izmerenie (the 4th Dimension)", "Kolokol (the Bell)", "Merkuriy (Mercury)", "Cosmos". In 1983 the Central Studio of Popular Science and Educational Films was awarded with the Order "Badge of Honor".
Оцифровка коллекции ЦНФ
net-film проводил оцифровку коллекции ЦНФ с 2013 по 2016 гг. За это время был создан и опубликован подробный каталог фильмов и киножурналов, снятых ленинградскими документалистами.
3282 CNF documentaries and historical clips digitized.
I'm going to the lost generations. | 1991
Documentary №20265, 3 parts, duration: 0:29:40
Meeting on the Elbe. | 1990
Documentary №20264, 2 parts, duration: 0:19:51
Soviet Patriot № 96 Graf Totleben. | 1990
Newsreel №14703, 1 part, duration: 0:09:38
Who gives life. | 1991
Documentary №20269, 2 parts, duration: 0:17:13
Wake up, Russia. | 1991
Documentary №20267, 3 parts, duration: 0:28:04
InterTraining. | 1991
Documentary №20266, 1 part, duration: 0:09:41