Derzhkino announced the 19th competition of film projects

On Monday, March 4, the State Film Agency of Ukraine announced the start of the 19th competitive selection of film projects. And before that – about the cancellation of the 18th, the results of which were never announced due to the start of a full-scale invasion in 2022. The distribution of funds and limitations on funding for the 18th State Cinema competition were established by the illegitimate Council on State Support of Cinematography.

Derzhkino made both announcements in its own way Facebook.

In the first post, the agency announced that it was canceling the 18th pitching. Derzhkino announced its holding on January 13, 2022. Documents were accepted within a month – from January 24 to February 23. After the 18th competition, two more were planned for 2022: the 19th and 20th.

In March 2022, Derzhkino announced the list of projects that passed the technical selection for the 18th pitching and announced that it would not hold pitchings until the end of martial law. “In the conditions of martial law, it is impossible to carry out further stages of the competitive selection of film projects. Therefore, its completion will take place after the termination of martial law“, Derzhkino reported at the time.

Now the agency reported that almost a year ago, on March 15, 2023, they issued an order approving a new decision-making procedure by the Council for State Support of Cinematography and the procedure for pitching. “Considering the above, the 18th competitive selection of film projects has been cancelled“, Derzhkino concluded.

The next post announced a new competition – the 19th. This happened almost a month after the domestic film community, due to distrust of the State Cinema’s decisions, called on the authorities to redirect the funds allocated for film production to the Ukrainian army.

About the fact that Derzhkino plans to return to the practice of pitching in early 2024, the head of the agency Maryna Kuderchuk spoke at the beginning of October last year at Kuiv Media Week. “We will hold competitions, we need content for festivals, cinemas and television“, Kuderchuk was quoted by “Media Detector” at the time. She also said that the rules for holding contests will not change.

According to Derzhkino’s announcement, projects will be selected in the following three directions:

– documenting war crimes and the heroism of the services that protect, provide/support the vital activities of the country’s society during the war, as well as the heroism of people of various professions and volunteers;

– films about historical figures in the creation of the state of Ukraine, modern heroes of the Ukrainian people and about events that illuminate the history of Ukraine;

– films with the theme of patriotic education of children and youth on Ukrainian history, culture, traditions and values ​​for the formation of value orientations and a sense of patriotism.

To participate in the selection, it is necessary to submit an e-mail and the necessary documents from March 4 to April 12, 2024. Documents are submitted electronically to the address: [email protected]

Derzhkino’s post also states that the Council for State Support of Cinematography (which was found illegal by the Kyiv District Administrative Court on November 2, 2023) distributed funds to support films as follows:

211,606.63 thousand hryvnias – for the production and distribution of documentary, educational, animated films, films for children’s audiences, films of artistic and cultural significance (author’s films) and debut films up to 100 percent inclusive;

174,352.90 thousand hryvnias – production and distribution of a film (feature, animation, etc.), the volume of which cannot exceed 80 percent of the total estimated cost of the film’s production;

45,000.00 thousand hryvnias – production and distribution of a television film, television series, the volume of which cannot exceed 50 percent of the total estimated cost of production.

The Council also set limits on the amount of state support for film production: for example, a debut full-length feature film can claim UAH 12 million, a full-length animation – UAH 30 million, a game TV series – UAH 1.5 million. for one series.

Scandals around Derzhkino

In recent years, after the appointment of Maryna Kuderchuk as the head of the State Agency for Cinema Affairs, the work of the institution has increasingly attracted public criticism from cinematographers.

In August 2022, Derzhkino issued an order to reorganize the Dovzhenko Center, which the institution called an attempted raid. In November, he was suspended from performing his duties as acting Olena Honcharuk, the winner of the competition, was appointed general director, and Yuliya Kazhdan, the founder of the canine center, was appointed instead. Since then, the uncertain existence of the largest film repository continues, and Derzhkino did not sign a contract with its director even after Honcharuk’s second victory at the competition.

In the summer of 2023, journalists of the “Schemes” project found out that during the full-scale war, Derzhkino issued 35 rental licenses to a Ukrainian company co-founded by Russian producer Mikhail Shlicht, known for producing Russian propaganda and patriotic films. Derzhkino, in response to the accusations, stated that there was no reason to refuse to issue rental licenses to Shlichta’s company, and accused the journalists of the “Schemes” project of “distorting information.”

Also, in 2023, State Cinema was distinguished by the creation of the scandalous project Strategy for the Development of Cinema in Ukraine until 2027. It was sent to the state authorities without even informing the film community. What’s more, Derzhkino refused to provide the project to the “Detektor Media” publication for review.

The film community appealed to Olga Stefanishyna, the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, with a request to postpone the consideration of the Strategy in the government committee until public discussion of the document. In the end, the government committee postponed the discussion. In November 2023, the film community again began to sound the alarm that the Cabinet of Ministers might approve a scandalous strategy for the development of cinema. Her fate is currently unknown.

One of the last projects of the State Cinema, which caused a lot of criticism, is the Cinema for Victory festival of documentaries shot during the Russian-Ukrainian war. Its holding was announced a few days before the opening of the festival, its dates were hastily extended, and both the location and the program were kept secret until the beginning. At the opening, the scandalous film “Bucha” was shown, but in the end, the journalists present were forbidden to reveal its plot. And the winner was announced the film “Long Day”, which did not premiere at the festival, because it was already shown in cinemas and even on 1+1.