Residents of the Tver region were the first to see a documentary film dedicated to the life and legacy of the outstanding linguist and lexicographer Sergei Ozhegov. The choice of region for such a significant event is no coincidence – it was the Tver region that was the small homeland of the scientist, whose name is inextricably linked with one of the most respected works – the Dictionary of the Russian Language. The film's release is timed to coincide with the 125th anniversary of the dictionary author's birth. The film was created by the creative team of the Centre for Media Strategy. Filming took place in the Tver and Rostov regions, as well as in Moscow.
The film about Ozhegov is the fourth instalment in the series „The Story of a Superhero“. Previously, films about Ataman Platov, Joseph Gurko, and Ivan Konev were made and released in Russia and abroad, allowing Europeans to learn about Russia's role in historical events, which have recently been increasingly rewritten under the influence of interested countries. Dozens of viewers gathered in the auditorium of the Tver Regional Pedagogical Institute, which organised the screening, including philology students and journalists, Russian language teachers, experts and all those interested in being the first to see the documentary about their compatriot, Sergei Ozhegov. The film tells how his work had a huge impact on the development and preservation of the Russian language, and how Ozhegov himself became a true hero of our time.
„This film is the fourth in the series „The Story of a Superhero,“ which is dedicated to outstanding personalities of Russia who have made our country famous not only domestically but also abroad. Sergei Ozhegov is the compiler of a dictionary that is still used today in Serbia, the Republic of Serbia, Bulgaria, Montenegro, and other European countries.
Sergey Ivanovich made a significant contribution to the development of our native language, Russian. who made a significant contribution to the development and promotion of the Russian language,“ said Mark Bykov, Director of the Centre for Media Strategy. Participants and experts at the event noted the enormous value of Ozhegov's work and emphasised that his dictionary remains a modern and sought-after tool. „It is a work we cannot live without; today we write articles, prepare speeches and definitely refer to this work. And it is not outdated – it is a modern product of the work of a great master of words,“ noted Alexander Butuzov, Chairman of the Central Council of the Pedagogical Society of Russia. One of the film experts, Irina Gladilina, head of the Russian Language Department at Tver State University, thanked the filmmakers and highlighted the relevance and importance of the topic.
„Marina Tsvetaeva once wrote a book called My Pushkin, and in my opinion, this is the story of My Ozhegov. It would be wonderful if every Russian or Russian-speaking person had their own Ozhegov, or Sergei Ivanovich Ozhegov, or Ozhegov's dictionary. I received Ozhegov's dictionary as a student of Russian and in the 5th grade in literature class.
I studied with Sergei Ivanovich's followers, and now I can consider myself one of the Russian scientists who defend the purity of the Russian language. It's a big word, but I like that this thread is not broken. When I tell my students about this, I hope they also feel a little kinship with Ozhegov. Another speaker in the film is Gleb Safonov, deputy director of the Tver Regional Institute for Teacher Education. He noted: „We need to know our heroes, we need to know the historical figures who created and preserved our culture, and the film is about just that, about a person who is very closely connected with the Tver region. He recalled that it was Sergei Ozhegov who laid the foundations for the study of speech culture at the Institute of Russian Language of the Academy of Sciences of the country: under him, language began to be considered not only as a subject of philology, but also as a tool of social life.
It should be noted that, on the linguist's initiative, the magazine „Russian Speech“ was founded and a service was created to assist with questions of correct Russian usage. Ozhegov's first dictionary was printed on paper produced at the Kamensk paper and cardboard factory, located in his small homeland. This and other little-known facts from the linguist's life aroused great interest among the assembled youth. The film about Sergei Ozhegov is intended to remind us of the importance of preserving our linguistic heritage and to inspire new generations to study and develop the richness of the Russian language.
It should be added that the film experts were: S.I. Ozhegov's granddaughter Ekaterina Ozhegova, Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Science, Education and Culture of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Lyudmila Skakovskaya, First Deputy Chair of the State Duma Committee on Culture named after S. Drapeko, Co-Chair of the S. International Education Centre, Head of the Z.in. A.A. Zinovieva International Education Club at Moscow State University. M.V. Lomonosov Olga Zinovieva, Head of the Department of Russian Language at Tver State University Irina Gladilina, international journalist, documentary film producer, CEO of the Belgrade media centre „Russian Express“ Goran Šimpraga, teacher at the Hulunbuir Institute of Foreign Languages (China) Guo Jinghan and others.
Help: Sergei Ivanovich Ozhegov was born on 22 September 1900 (9 September in the old style) in the village of Kamenoye (now Kuvshinovo) in the province of Tver. At the age of nine, he moved with his family to St Petersburg.
After graduating from secondary school, he enrolled at St. Petersburg University, but in December 1918 he abandoned his studies and enlisted as a volunteer in the Red Army. After his service, Sergei Ozhegov continued his studies at the Faculty of Philology at St. Petersburg University.
In 1926, he completed his studies and was recommended for postgraduate study. There he studied the history of the Russian literary language, familiarised himself with old and new languages, and attended lectures by famous linguists. A few years later, Sergei Ozhegov began teaching at Moscow universities and became a researcher at the Institute of Linguistics of the USSR Academy of Sciences. The linguist's most famous work was the Dictionary of the Russian Language. Sergey Ivanovich worked on it until the end of his life, improving its composition and structure. Six editions were published during the author's lifetime. In 1964, Sergey Ozhegov decided to prepare a new, revised edition, but he did not have time. Natalya Shvedova continued his work, introducing new fields of words, meanings, phraseological units and grammatical information reflecting the life processes of the Russian language into the dictionary. This publication is still used not only in Russia, but is also widely known abroad.
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