Sozont Koval, Videos | Urban Media Archive

Sozont Koval

The collection of Sozont Pavlovich Koval consists of 24 films he made between 1974 and 1989 on Super 8 and 8mm film.

The films depict scenes typical of home movies of that time: family life and everyday activities, walks and outdoor recreation, celebrations and festivities, weddings, trips and excursions, leisure time with family and friends, interaction with nature and pets.

The vast majority of the films document the childhood years of Sozont Koval's children—his daughter Zenoviia and son Roman—and therefore constitute a valuable source of material on Soviet childhood. The collection includes scenes of caring for and feeding infants. Film episodes depicting children's games, leisure, and entertainment reveal the toys and attractions of that time. Footage of leisure time in rural areas shows children playing with domestic animals. Some of the films depict solemn events of the Soviet education system – New Year's and May Day celebrations, and assemblies for Knowledge Day. Most of the episodes involving travel are recordings of family vacations with children.

Sozont Koval's films feature recreational areas and public spaces in Lviv, including Vysokyi Zamok Park, Stryisky Park, the Hill of Glory, and Lenin Avenue.

The collection includes footage from the following cities: Lviv, Skole, Alupka, Yalta, Dnipro, and Gagra.

The films were digitised as part of the project "Safeguarding Ukrainian Heritage of Amateur Films and Home Movies", implemented with the support of The Modern Endangered Archives Program.