Leonid Osyka

Leonid Osyka (1940–2001) was a key representative of Ukrainian poetic cinema. He was born in Kyiv and studied at VGIK (Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography), where, as his graduation project, he made the film Entering the Sea (1964), which was immediately banned. Upon his return to Ukraine, he finished the film Love Awaits Those Who Return (1966), started by another director. Due to this, he was able to direct his next film the way he wanted. As a result, he made The Stone Cross (1968). Later, Osyka created such films as Zakhar Berkut (1971), Grandfather of the Outside Left (1974), and The Birthday Present (1991).