Five Ukrainian Producers Invited to Join the Academy Behind the Oscars

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), the organization behind the Oscars, has invited 529 film professionals from 60 countries and territories to join its membership this year.

Among them are five Ukrainian producers: Oleg Kokhan, Nataliia Libet, Olha Berhman, Ihor Savychenko, and Volodymyr Yatsenko. The newly invited members represent some of the most acclaimed Ukrainian films of recent years.

Oleg Kokhan, founder of SOTA Cinema Group, has produced works by renowned directors including Kira Muratova, Krzysztof Zanussi, and Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi.

Olha Berhman and Nataliia Libet, co-founders of 2Brave Productions, produced the award-winning films “Stop-Zemlia” and “Timestamp.”

Ihor Savychenko is known for “When the Trees Fall,” “Independence Day,” and “Brothers: The Final Confession,” while Volodymyr Yatsenko produced “U Are the Universe,” “My Thoughts Are Silent,” and “Reflection.”

The Academy also invited US documentary producer Michelle Mizner, who worked on the Oscar-winning documentary “20 Days in Mariupol” and “2000 Meters to Andriivka,” as well as filmmaker Craig Renaud, brother of journalist and documentary filmmaker Brent Renaud, who was killed while reporting in Ukraine in 2022.

According to AMPAS, women account for 42% of this year’s invitees, 56% come from underrepresented communities, and 53% live outside the US – representing 60 countries and territories.

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Academy membership gives Ukrainian producers the right to vote for Oscar winners and allows them to help shape decisions that influence the future of global cinema.

Commenting on his invitation, Oleg Kokhan said the appointment is less about prestige than about strengthening Ukraine’s position in the international film industry.

“Membership in the Academy is not about red carpets or honorary titles. It is about gaining direct access to the mechanisms that shape global cinema. Having a Ukrainian voice inside the Oscars is a unique opportunity to establish Ukraine’s place in the international film landscape at the highest level,” he said.

“We must enter the industry’s key decision-making rooms as equal partners. The world invests in authentic stories, and Ukraine’s painful yet invaluable experience of transformation during the war offers a perspective contemporary cinema urgently needs,” he added.

Kokhan said his goal is not only to bring Ukrainian cinema to the world but also to ensure it is valued “not through the lens of sympathy.”

“My goal is to turn this recognition into meaningful international collaborations, so Ukrainian cinema is valued not through the lens of sympathy, but as a powerful, competitive art form capable of setting global trends,” he said.