Oleksiy-Nestor Naumenko

Oleksiy-Nestor Naumenko (Ukrainian: Олексій-Нестор Науменко, born 11 March 1973) is a Ukrainian film director, screenwriter, cinematographer, and producer. He works primarily in experimental filmmaking, documentary, and visual arts. Naumenko is also a traveller and a publicist, writing on cultural, social, ethnographic, and cinematic subjects.

Biography and career

Oleksiy Naumenko was born in Kyiv, Ukraine. After completing his technical education as a television engineer at the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, he continued his studies at the Ivan Karpenko-Karyi Kyiv National University of Theatre, Cinema and Television, graduating in 2000 with a degree in film and television directing.

Naumenko began his professional career in the mid-1990s as an assistant director and video editor for Ukrainian television. He later transitioned to independent filmmaking, working across a variety of genres and formats. His films explore themes including social inequality, ecology, cultural heritage preservation, and the psychological dimensions of human experience.

His body of work includes more than 50 films ranging from documentary, chronicle, ethnographic and music films to short fiction, experimental works, photo films, and arthouse. He creates films in several languages, including Ukrainian, English, and Spanish.

Among Naumenko's experimental films is 50 Horizons (2023), a full-length documentary exploring minimalist and absurdist aesthetics. The film was presented at the Molodist International Film Festival and is described as being inspired by the creative methods of James Joyce and James Benning. Other projects include the travel essay films Year of Volcanoes (2018), Sunny Island (2021), Caribbean Trilogy (2020), a documentary essay about Japan The Butterfly Way (2014), and a series titled Nestor's Travel ABC, which began in 2022.

Naumenko has filmed in locations across the globe. Year of Volcanoes was shot on four European volcanoes: Vesuvius and Etna (Italy), Teide (Spain), and Santorini (Greece). Caribbean Trilogy, which includes Walls of Santo Domingo, Flower in the Mist and 47, was filmed in Cuba and the Dominican Republic. Sunny Island was filmed in 11 countries on four continents. 50 Horizons includes footage from 21 countries, such as Ukraine, Panama, Japan, Iceland, Egypt, Germany, Switzerland, Montenegro, Norway, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, etc.

Most of Naumenko's films have been produced through his independent studio Nestor Film.

In addition to filmmaking, Naumenko is a photographer and a curator of art exhibitions and performative projects.

As a publicist, Oleksiy-Nestor Naumenko collaborates with various media outlets, including cinema journals. He is recognized for his research on the life and work of film director Andrei Tarkovsky, and Ukrainian actors Boryslav Brondukov and Ivan Mykolaichuk.

Full filmography of Oleksiy-Nestor Naumenko

+ № Title Year Genre Length (min) Participation Notes 1 Reconstruction of Consciousness(Реконструкція свідомості) 1997 portrait documentary 46 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer student film about painter Hlib Vysheslavskyi 2 Rose of Paracelsus(Троянда Парацельса) 1998 short fiction, adaptation 17 directorscreenwriterproducer student film based on the novel by Jorge Luis Borges;starring Bogdan Kamburov, Arkadiy Nepytaliuk;cinematographer Andriy Klymenko 3 Far Native Land(Далека рідна земля) 1998 ethnographic documentary 33 directorco-screenwriter about Ukrainian Australians 4 Melody!(Мелодія!) 1999 portrait and music documentary 37 directorscreenwriterproducer student film about avant-garde composer Vitaliy Hodziatsky;cinematographer Dmytro Tiazhlov 5 Hope of Souls(Прагнення душ) 1999 fiction, arthouse 21 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer student film;starring Svitlana Shtanko, Oleksiy Naumenko, Anatoliy Dyachenko, Hanna Silenko;cameraman Arkadiy Nepytaliuk 6 The Elements(Стихія) 2000 portrait documentary 30 directorcinematographerco-producer student film;script by Hanna Yarovenko;filmed in Crimea (Ukraine) 7 Parts of Existence(Частки буття) 2000 portrait documentary 31 directorscreenwritercinematographerco-producer about a school teacher from Ukrainian province 8 Man on the Hill(Людина на пагорбі) 2007 fiction-documentary, arthouse 33 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer starring Natalia Morozova, Andriy Kulagin 9 Praise Winter after St. Mykola's!(Хвали зиму після Миколи!) 2008 ethnographic documentary 12 directorscreenwritercinematographerco-producer filmed in the estate of Saint Nicholas in Ivano-Frankivsk region (Ukraine) 10 The Way Ukrainians Live in Siberia(Як українці в Сибіру живуть) 2008 ethnographic documentary 85 directorscreenwritercinematographerco-producer filmed in Southwestern Siberia;co-producer Askold Lozynskyj 11 Certainly, the Sun Will Come(Сонце неодмінно прийде) 2009 visual documentary 11 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer filmed in Crimea (Ukraine) 12 Approach of Kamchatka(Наближення Камчатки) 2009 music documentary 36 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer songs by Oleg Bochko in the author's performance;filmed in Kyiv and Saint Petersburg 13 Outside the Circle(За межами кола) 2010 portrait documentary 50 directorscreenwritercinematographerco-producer about the fate of the artist in the modern world;filmed in Kyiv and Cherkasy region (Ukraine) 14 Maidan-On-The-Blood(Майдан-на-крові) 2014 chronicle-documentary 36 directorscreenwriterco-producer about the Revolution of Dignity in Kyiv;in cooperation with NTN TV channel 15 The Butterfly Way(Шлях метелика) 2014 arthouse documentary 48 directorscreenwritercinematographerco-producer filmed in Japan;co-producer Takeshi Hirata 16 Visitors to Paradise(Відвідувачі раю) 2015 visual documentary 77 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer filmed in the Maldives 17 Three Capitals: Sarajevo, the Stumbling City(Три столиці: Сараєво – місто спотикання) 2015 documentary 15 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer filmed in Bosnia and Herzegovina 18 Three Capitals. Tokyo: The Capital of Contraries(Три столиці: Токіо – столиця протилежностей) 2015 documentary 16 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer filmed in Japan 19 Ohrid Lake(Озеро Охрид) 2016 visual documentary 12 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer filmed in North Macedonia 20 The Kyiv Episodes(Київські епізоди) 2016 conceptual documentary 76 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer filmed in Kyiv (Ukraine) 21 Shit(Херня) 2016 short fiction, comedy 9 directorcinematographer screenplay by Oleg Romanenko;starring Tetyana Nyankina, Andriy Gubin;filmed in Sumy (Ukraine) 22 44 2018 documentary essay, autobiographical 12 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducercomposer filmed in the Meteora mountains in Greece 23 Beer Day(День пива) 2018 documentary 7 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer filmed in Munich (Germany) during Oktoberfest 24 Three Capitals: Malé, the Smallest Capital in the World(Три столиці: Малє – найменша столиця світу) 2018 documentary 16 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer filmed in the Maldives 25 Year of Volcanoes(Рік вулканів) 2018 documentary essay 30 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducercomposer filmed on the volcanoes Vesuvius and Mount Etna (Italy), Teide (Spain), and Santorini (Greece) 26 Dentist's Cabinet(Кабінет стоматолога) 2019 short fiction, sketch, satire 3 directorscreenwriter cinematographer Mykhailo Lebedev;starring Igor Khalizov, Kateryna Ozirna, Olena Salomatina 27 Å: Silence of Cod(О: Мовчання тріски) 2020 visual documentary 8 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer filmed in Lofoten Islands (Norway) 28 Flower in the Mist(Квітка в тумані) 2020 documentary essay 19 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer filmed in Cuba 29 47 2020 documentary essay, ecological, autobiographical 15 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer filmed in the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Panama, the Canary Islands, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Japan 30 Walls of Santo Domingo(Стіни Санто-Домінго) 2020 conceptual documentary 10 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer filmed in the Dominican Republic 31 Sunny Island(Сонячний острів) 2021 documentary essay 69 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer music by Max Lymar;filmed in 11 countries between 2012 and 2020 32 Vienna, the Music Capital of the World(Відень – музична столиця світу) 2021 documentary 30 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer filmed in Austria 33 Nestor's Travel ABC. Rovaniemi: Visiting the Christmas Goat(Мандрівна абетка Нестора. Рованіємі: У гості до Різдвяного Козла) 2022 documentary 6 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer music by Max Lymar;filmed at Joulupukki Estate in Finland 34 Nestor's Travel ABC. Å: For What the Cod Whist(Мандрівна абетка Нестора. О: Про що мовчить тріска) 2022 documentary essay 5 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer music by Max Lymar;filmed in Lofoten Islands (Norway) 35 Roads of Armenia. Books of Haghpat(Дороги Вірменії. Книги Ахпата) 2022 documentary 5 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer filmed in Armenia 36 Time to Gather Stones(Tiempo de juntar piedras) 2022 portrait documentary 34 directorscreenwritercinematographerco-producer filmed in Catalonia (Spain);in Spanish 37 Nestor's Travel ABC. Venice: Life vs. death(Мандрівна абетка Нестора. Венеція: Життя проти смерті) 2022 documentary 6 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer music by Max Lymar;filmed in Italy 38 Nestor's Travel ABC. Barcelona: Dreams of Reinforced Concrete(Мандрівна абетка Нестора. Барселона: Мрії залізобетону) 2022 documentary essay 12 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer music by Max Lymar;filmed in Spain 39 50 Horizons(50 горизонтів) 2023 conceptual documentary, avant-garde 77 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer the third part of an autobiographical tetralogy 40 50 Waters(50 вод) 2023 conceptual documentary 77 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer the first part of an autobiographical tetralogy 41 50 Roads(50 доріг) 2023 conceptual documentary 77 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer the second part of an autobiographical tetralogy 42 Landscape of Oblivion(Paysage de l'oubli) 2023 experimental documentary, avant-garde 39 directorcinematographerproducer filmed in Chornobyl (Ukraine) and on the Atlantic Coast (Iceland, Spain, Dominican Republic);in French 43 Immortal Hamlet 2023 fiction-documentary 21 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer staging of a play by William Shakespeare;filmed at Kronborg Castle (Denmark);music by Max Lymar;in English 44 Roads of Armenia. Prisoner of Khor Virap(Дороги Вірменії. В’язень Хор-Вірапа) 2023 documentary 11 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer filmed in Armenia 45 Nestor's Travel ABC. Washington: Blooming days(Мандрівна абетка Нестора. Вашингтон: Квітучі дні) 2023 documentary essay 7 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer music by Max Lymar;filmed in the US 46 Nestor's Travel ABC. Florence: A Numb City(Мандрівна абетка Нестора. Флоренція: Заціпеніле місто) 2023 documentary photo film, essay 8 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer music by Max Lymar;filmed in Italy 47 Nestor's Travel ABC. Jerusalem: Triumph of walls(Мандрівна абетка Нестора. Єрусалим: Тріумф стін) 2023 documentary essay 11 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer music by Max Lymar;filmed in Israel 48 Nestor's Travel ABC. Paris: Birds of Love(Мандрівна абетка Нестора. Париж: Птахи кохання) 2023 documentary essay 11 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer music by Max Lymar;filmed in France 49 Time of Scattered Stones(Час розкиданого каміння) 2024 photo film, experimental 10 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer filmed in Kamianets-Podilskyi (Ukraine) 50 50 Meetings(50 зустрічей) 2024 conceptual documentary, autobiographical 203 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer the fourth part of an autobiographical tetralogy 51 Nestor's Travel ABC. Kamakura: Drops of the Truth(Мандрівна абетка Нестора. Камакура: Краплини істини) 2024 documentary essay 10 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer music by Max Lymar;filmed in Japan 52 Nestor's Travel ABC. Oyama: Brawlers in the Shrine(Мандрівна абетка Нестора. Ояма: Бешкетники в храмі) 2024 ethnographic documentary 9 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer music by Max Lymar;filmed in Japan 53 The Turbulent Sea of Our Life(Бурхливе море нашого життя) 2024 documentary 28 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer based on the exhibition of paintings by Mykola Kosciuszko;cinematographer Andriy Klymenko 54 Rendezvous with Maksym Rylsky(Побачення з Максимом Рильським) 2025 chronicle-documentary 37 directorliterary editorsound designer about the famous Ukrainian poet Maksym Rylsky;scriptwriter Maksym Rylsky-junior 55 Nestor’s Travel ABC. Munich: Oktoberfest(Мандрівна абетка Нестора. Мюнхен: Октоберфест) 2026 ethnographic documentary 6 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer music by Max Lymar;filmed in Germany 56 Chornobyl. Stolen Bodies(Чорнобиль. Украдені тіла) 2026 experimental documentary 28 directorscreenwritercinematographerproducer filmed in Ukraine and Iceland