Wissenswertes

Served as a paratrooper and infantry officer in World War II. Wounded 5 times and decorated for bravery.

Graduate of the legendary Russian film school VGIK, also attended by Sergei Parajanov and Mikhail Vartanov

One of the Soviet Cinema Thaw main representatives, Newromanticism member Movement (1954-1962) protected by Nikita Khrushchev in front of Soviet PCUS and statal Cinematographistes Union, was later opposed to the Russian dictator who wanted impose the return to Stalinist Socialist Realism. Accused of "ideological deviationism," overcame this trouble and in 1963, presided over the Cinema Festival from Moscow jury. His masterpiece is autobiographic Die Ballade vom Soldaten (1959), Palma de Oro winner in Cannes Cinema Festival. Father of cameramen Pavel Chukhray, died at 80 in Moscow.

Father of Pavel Chukhray.

Biography in: John Wakeman, editor. "World Film Directors, Volume Two, 1945-1985." Pages 206-209. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 1988.

He studied in the same class with Karl Kantor , who remained his close friend until the end of his life.

In 1965-1976 he was artistic director of the Experimental Creative Association of the Mosfilm Film Studio. For more than 20 years he was a member of the artistic council of the Mosfilm film studio. Twice elected as a member of the party committee of the studio.

Grigory Naumovich Chukhrai was in 1963 chairman of the jury of the III Moscow International Film Festival.

Since 1965he was the permanent secretary of the Union of Cinematographers of the USSR , chairman of the Foundation for the Promotion of Creative Activity and Household Assistance of the USSR IC.

During the filming of the graduation film, he was forced to go to the hospital due to an aggravated injury, and after discharge it turned out that neither the film crew nor the scenery had been around for a long time. According to Chukhrai's memoirs, Mikhail Romm rescued him by calling to the shooting of " Admiral Ushakov " as his assistant; he also instructed Chukhrai to stage several scenes on his own, which he did not include in the film, but advised him to mount them and submit them for defense as a graduation film.

In 1966-1971 he was a teacher at VGIK, and led the director's workshop.

In 1953 he graduated from the directing department of VGIK (workshop of Sergei Yutkevich and Mikhail Romm ).

He was member of the "Soviet Peace Committee", and member of the Board of Friendship Societies "USSR - Italy", "USSR - Hungary".

During the Great Patriotic War, he served in a communications company as part of the airborne units on the Southern , Stalingrad , Don , 1st and 2nd Ukrainian Fronts . From May 1942 - on Taman , from June-September 1942 - on the Stalingrad Front, from November 1942 to February 1943 - on the Don Front , in September-October 1943 he took part in the air force operation " Dnieper landing " as part of 2nd Ukrainian Front, since March 1945 - on the 3rd Ukrainian Front. He was wounded four times, the last wound was in April in a battle near the city of Papa on the way to Vienna , according to his own recollections, he met Victory Day in the hospital, was demobilized at the end of December 1945, with the rank of senior lieutenant of the guard.

Since 2016, one of the streets in Melitopol has been named after the film director.

He received the British Academy Film Award (BAFTA Award) in 1962 for Best Film, Ballad of a Soldier (1959).

In 1992-1993, together with the German director Rolf Schuebel, he made a documentary television film "Deadly Enemies" (Todfeinde. Vom Sterben und Überleben in Stalingrad, produced by Studio Hamburg and the Nerv Film Studio), which included interviews with participants in the Battle of Stalingrad.

He taught at the Higher Courses for Directors and Screenwriters.

From 1952 to 1955 he worked as an assistant director at the film studio named after A. Dovzhenko.

In March 1966 he signed a letter of thirteen against the rehabilitation of Stalin.