President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a new law overhauling state support for cinematography in Ukraine by guaranteeing a minimal level of funding and introducing new rules and tools to support filmmaking.
As reported by the State Agency of Ukraine for Cinema, Law No. 4743-IX was signed by Zelensky on June 4, significantly changing the approach to the industry’s financing, along with introducing new tools to support filmmakers and digitalise interaction.
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“One of the key innovations of the Law is to grant the State Film Agency a special status,” the State Film Agency said, adding that “this decision will preserve and strengthen the potential” of its staff.
Legally, spending on cinematography must now amount to at least 0.2 percent of expenditures of the previous year’s general state budget, guaranteeing the industry a fixed amount of public funds every year.
Officials say this has been intentionally put in the law to protect film support and to give producers more predictability in planning projects, even as the war puts pressure on state finances.
As a part of this initiative, the reform has also introduced a development-stage financing aid that is repayable, so the state can support projects that are still in their early phases of development.
One of the key innovations is a box office refund scheme aimed at rewarding commercially successful local films. This means that, if any film produced entirely with a local producer’s own funding largely succeeds in cinemas, the state will return 30 percent of its ticket sales to be used for the producer’s future projects.
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Students and inclusive cinematography
The law devoted particular attention to the industry’s newcomers and students, allowing direct state funding for student and graduation films, which could help young directors achieve their first serious projects.
At the same time, any production that receives public money will now be required to involve students in the filmmaking process, turning the filmmaking process into training grounds for the next generation of professionals.
All films made with state support will highly focus on inclusivity, and will have to be adapted for viewers with visual and hearing impairments. The reform’s aim is to tackle ableism in the industry with new built-in requirements, such as providing audio description, rather than treating this as an optional extra.
How the industry reacts with the state has also been modernized, with a shift to fully electronic communication and a sharp reduction in paper-based paperwork.
Rules had been updated regarding the transparency and terminology. Together with the new box office refund and a stable budget, the changes are meant to create better conditions for national and international film production, strengthening Ukraine’s position as a partner for future international projects.
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