Continuing the initiatives from last year, Netflix, together with the Ukrainian Film Academy and House of Europe, will continue to work together supporting Ukrainian professionals in the film and TV industry, who continue to be impacted by the full-scale russian invasion.
Ukrainian creators will continue to receive financial support and access to training and experts at all levels of their careers. The initiatives supported by Netflix’s Fund for Creative Equity, will offer not only financial assistance to Ukrainian creators, but also to the post-production of already-advanced projects.
Additionally, new partners – EAVE (European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs) and the New York Film Academy – have joined the program. They will provide additional access to knowledge and training to hundreds of professionals in various fields.
The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine constantly cooperates with international partners, in particular with Netflix, to support Ukrainian film and TV creators, as well as to introduce the international community to Ukrainian specialists and products. There is more and more Ukrainian-language content on Netflix. Ukrainian films began to appear on the service. There are currently more than 20 of them. In particular, since the end of March, viewers can already watch the film with Ukrainian chef Yevhen Klopotenko “Borsch. The Secret Ingredient”, the popular Ukrainian TV series “Catch Kaidash” and other films that appeared earlier. All this became possible thanks to the daily cooperation of the MCIP and Netflix.
Last year, the programmes supported 100 creative professionals with stipends, over 400 received access to digital education, as well as 48 two-person creative teams who received script development grants and online sessions with international industry experts. Out of those projects, 9 creators have already found foreign partners and co-producers, 4 have found international donor funding, and 1 won the “Best Project Award” at the Series Mania co-pitching session, an unprecedented success for a Ukrainian project. More have been selected for presentations at various film festivals across the world.
“More than a year after the russia’s unprovoked invasion, Ukraine’s creative professionals need support now more than ever. Together with its Ukrainian and international partners, Netflix is demonstrating that it is a reliable partner and supporter of Ukrainian culture in these extremely difficult times. Seeing the impact of these programs since last year, we know that they will continue to give our talented professionals even more support and encouragement,” said Oleksandr Tkachenko, Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine.
“russia’s war against Ukraine poses a threat to the Ukrainian cultural sector. Ukrainians are protecting and preserving their culture and we are supporting them. This partnership with the Ukrainian Film Academy and Netflix is another aspect of our support to the country’s creative industries: Ukrainian film creators have a lot to show and we want the world to see them.” commented Ambassador Matti Maasikas, Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine.
This year, the following initiatives will be offered for Ukrainian film and TV creators:
● A further 100 stipends for creative professionals of all levels. Applications are already open for eligible creators on the House of Europe website until April 18th;
● A series of digital masterclasses for producers and line producers prepared by EAVE’s network of international experts, providing a comprehensive understanding of all stages of a project life-span from a co-production point of view, tailor made to the Ukrainian AV industry. Applications will open via the House of Europe website for eligible Ukrainian creators in late April;
● New support for advanced projects, via the Ukrainian Film Academy, with post-production grants of $10,000 each for Ukrainian fiction feature films or documentaries and a two-day digital post-production workshop, run by the New York Film Academy. More information on these parts of the initiative and the next steps, including applications, will be available later this year.
Meanwhile, the script development grant recipients from last year’s cohort will continue to receive support.
Similarly to the previous year, every Ukrainian creator, regardless of their location, can apply for these initiatives. Expanding the partnership with two new international institutions will provide even more opportunities to learn new skills and develop their career in the film and TV industry on the international stage.
