Steven Spielberg, the highest grossing film director and producer in the history of cinema has a close relationship with Ukraine

“Finally, I am in my native land,” said Steven Spielberg in 2006, as soon as he got off the plane in Odessa.

The highest grossing film director and producer in the history of cinema has a really close relationship with Ukraine. His grandfather and grandmother on the father’s side emigrated to the United States from Kamianets-Podilskyi, and his grandfather on the mother’s side — from Odessa. As a child, Spielberg could often hear Yiddish at home; he fell asleep listening to the Ukrainian lullabies, and the Ukrainian borscht still remains his favorite food.

Spielberg’s record of more than $10 billion in box office revenues has not yet been surpassed by anyone and it is unlikely to happen soon. The director’s net worth is estimated at $3.6 billion.

The palette of film genres, Spielberg presented the audience with, that have become classic, is impressive. Horror films, science fiction, adventures, dramas.

Schindler’s List has become the most expensive black and white feature film of the 20th century with a budget of $25 million. And at the same time, it is the most successful black and white film. It has earned $321 million at the box office.

Spielberg used his fees to establish the Shoah Foundation. The Holocaust is usually called “The Shoah” in Israel. The foundation collects and preserves testimonies of the eyewitness of the genocide against the Jewish people during the Holocaust and the stories of the rescue of Jews by the Righteous Among the Nations.

“If you are planning to make something great one day, remember, that one day is today,” says Spielberg.