Dymivka

A remote Ukrainian village. A poor peasant, Hryhorii Malynovskyi, wants to expose those who oppose the revolutionary changes in the village - the rich, led by Konstantin Popandopul, who have made their way into the village council and are ruling there. Since poor peasants enjoy certain privileges, the rich in the village council decide to exclude Grigory from the list of poor people. Outraged, Hryhorii goes to the city and writes a letter to the newspaper. Malynovskyi is murdered. The investigator uncovers the murder and the thieves are brought to justice. The film is based on the high-profile trial of the murder of the pro-Bolshevik rural journalist Hryhorii Malynovskyi in the village of Dymivka (later renamed Malynivka in honor of Malynovskyi in Odesa province, now Mykolaiv region), promoted by Pravda newspaper and mentioned by Stalin.

Directed by Panteleymon Sazonov, Dymivka leans on a strong ensemble — Pyotr Matveyenko, A. Olenich-Alekseyeva, V. Piddubnyi — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1926.