KYIV. May 11 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Head of the Ukrainian State Film Agency Philip Illienko has said that it may take five years of active government support to make the Ukrainian film industry self-sustained.
“We must admit that the budget allocated to support filmmaking in 2017 (UAH 500 million) is the largest budget for film production in the history of an independent Ukraine, and it allows us to say that there is an intense development. We are beginning to feel a shortage of creative personnel,” Illienko said at a press conference in Kyiv on Wednesday answering a question from Interfax-Ukraine.
He noted that the Ukrainian State Film Agency currently supports 90 projects, including 50 feature films.
“There is a serious need to talk about the development of film education. At present, we understand that we need to make a considerable investment in professional education, enabling Ukrainian students to travel… at the state expense to study abroad,” Illienko said.
At the same time, he noted that despite the active development, the film industry in Ukraine has not yet become self-sustained, but if the state continues to actively support the film production for at least five years, then the industry may start to develop independently.
“I think that if the government support of the Ukrainian filmmaking continues for at least five consecutive years, the Ukrainian film industry will reach a level of self-sustainability, when it will be possible to talk about changing approaches…” Illienko said.
