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Russian Central Studio of Documentary Films

Soviet/Russian newsreel and documentary cinematography studio (1927–present)

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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionNov 18, 2025
Entity authorityQ4398014 ↗
Source-derived summary

Russian Central Studio of Documentary Film (Russian: Российская центральная студия документальных фильмов) was a Russian film studio, founded in 1927. It was the largest Soviet newsreel and documentary cinematography studio. It is headquartered in Moscow.

History

Studio traced its history from 1927, when a special newsreel division of Sovkino was formed. In 1931 it was reorganized as the All-Union Newsreel Factory (Russian: Союзкинохроника, romanized: Soyuzkinochronicle). From 1936 it became known as the Moscow Newsreel Studio, and from 1940 as the Central Newsreel Studio.

From 1944 until 1993, it was known as the Central Studio for Documentary Film or CSDF (Russian: Центральная студия документальных фильмов, ЦСДФ).

In Soviet Union, the CSDF was responsible for newsreel series such as:

News of the Day / "Новости дня"

Foreign Newsreel / "Иностранная кинохроника"

Soviet Sports / "Советский спорт"

Soviet Cinema / "Советское кино"

Pioneria / "Пионерия"

In 1944–1946 the studio director was Sergei Gerasimov. The studio produced a number of documentary films about the Great Patriotic War, including Moscow Strikes Back, winner of the 1942 Academy Award for Best Documentary.

At the end of 2014, the studio's premises in Kulakov Lane were transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Russian Central Studio of Documentary Films” as soviet/Russian newsreel and documentary cinematography studio (1927–present). Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA dependable orientation record for establishing vocabulary, names and a first evidence trail. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1927, 1931, 1936, 1940—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1927. The account is most persuasive where Russian, Central and Studio can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as soviet/Russian newsreel and documentary cinematography studio (1927–present). Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Nov 18, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q4398014. Authority coordinates are 55.772, 37.613. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1927, 1931, 1936 and 1940.

Critical limits

The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
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  2. Expand the search: follow Russian Central Studio of Documentary Films primary sources, Russian Central Studio of Documentary Films archive and Russian research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Russian Central Studio of Documentary Films” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.