In 1962-1963, Odessa movie studio was shooting a feature movie “Shura Chooses the Sea” in Vilkovo. It is a story of the young sailor, his first sailing, the difficulties he faced during his first serious life adventures. The title character – Shura – at the beginning of the movie is full of more children’s illusions and false romantic notions about the sea and sailos’r way of living, about long-term and distance sailings and big ships.    That was those illusions Shurs started his first sailing with. But, book emotions give way to a conscious love of the sea, the understanding of people whom he met on a small fishing seiner. So, Sergei Nikonenko, at that time a student of the Institute of Cinematography, played the main role of Shura.
   The film also starred popular Soviet artists such as Nina Ivanova, Alexander Beniaminov, Vladimir Gulyaev, Victor Uralskyy, Vadim Zakharchenko, V. Panafidin, Konstantin Leonovich.
   The movie is valuable for vilkovians for its outdoor shooting of Vilkovo and the residents of that time. Cause not only those artists who played their roles, but also vilkovians got into the shot while playing the role of extras. Although, it was not even the role of extras but the ordinary daily life of vilkovians as it is, and the artists just stepped in this game of life with their movie characters. Therefore, part of the movie filmed in Vilkovo, reports the colorful natural life of vilkovians.
   It is worth note that the song of the famous poet Bulat Okudzhava sounds in this movie. Okudzhava with his wife Olga came in Vilkovo particularly during this film shooting. After this trip, Okudzhava wrote an essay about Vilkovo “A Small Town on Eriks.” Moreover, in 1985 he wrote a poem dedicated to his wife Olga, and later put to his music “Vilkovskaya fantasy.”
   “Tihaya Gavan” website administration refers to vilkovians with request of reporting in the comments in case, if anyone finds himself or herself or their loved ones out in the film’ shots. It is necessary to create a documentary film about the city of Vilkovo, using those areas of nature that were filmed for the feature movies “Shura Chooses the Sea” and “About You.”
Fragments from the movie “Shura Chooses the Sea”, year 1963