Zhukovsky is a 1950 Soviet biopic directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin and Dmitri Vasilyev, based on the life of Russian scientist Nikolai Zhukovsky (1847–1921), founding father of modern aero- and hydrodynamics. In 1950 Pudovkin received the Best Director award at the 5th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival for this film. In 1951 Pudovkin, Shebalin, Golovnya, and Belokurov received the Stalin Prize.

Plot

The film explores the life and achievements of Nikolay Yegorovich Zhukovsky, a pioneering scientist and the father of modern aerodynamics. During the early days of aviation, when many pilots lost their lives due to the flaws in aircraft design, Zhukovsky’s experiments were seen as extraordinarily risky. However, he found a brave ally in military pilot Pyotr Nesterov, who became the first in the world to perform the famous "loop-the-loop," now known as the "Nesterov Loop."