Yuri Ilyenko

Yuri Ilyenko
Юрій Іллєнко
Born(1936-07-18)18 July 1936
Cherkasy, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Ukraine)
Died15 June 2010(2010-06-15) (aged 73)
Prokhorivka, Ukraine
OccupationsFilm director, screenwriter, cinematographer, politician
Years active1960–2002
ChildrenPylyp Illenko
AwardsShevchenko National Prize, 1991

Yuri Herasymovych Ilyenko (Ukrainian: Юрій Герасимович Іллєнко, 18 July 1936 – 15 June 2010) was a Ukrainian film director, screenwriter, cinematographer and politician. He directed twelve films between 1965 and 2002. His 1970 film The White Bird Marked with Black was entered into the 7th Moscow International Film Festival where it won the Golden Prize.

Ilyenko was one of Ukraine's most influential filmmakers. His films represented Ukraine and what was happening to it. His films were banned in the USSR for their suspected anti-Soviet symbolism. Only in the recent years have his films been re-released and open to the public.