According to the Interfax-Ukraine Culture project, a panel discussion titled “The Ukrainian Film Industry: Sustainability, Distribution, and International Opportunities,“ dedicated to the development of the Ukrainian film market during the war, international distribution, and prospects for cooperation with the global film industry, the State Film Agency reports on its Facebook page.
”Despite the war, Ukrainian audiences continue to return to movie theaters and support local cinema. This creates not only cultural resilience but also a real market for Ukrainian cinema,” noted Andriy Nogin.
According to the NGO “UkrKinoFest,” participants in the discussion included Andriy Osipov, head of the State Agency of Ukraine for Cinema; Nataliia Movshovych, Deputy Minister of Culture of Ukraine; Andriy Nogin, General Producer of UnitedContentHUB and Head of the NGO “UkrKinoFest”; Kateryna Nahorna, International Sales Manager at FILM.UA Group; Valeria Sochivets, Co-founder of “Contemporary Ukrainian Cinema”; and Serhiy Lavrenyuk, General Producer at Solar Media Entertainment. The discussion was moderated by director and producer Ksenia Bugrimova.
During the discussion, participants discussed the state of Ukrainian commercial and auteur cinema, changes in audience preferences amid the war, new international distribution models, and the integration of the Ukrainian film industry into the global market.
In particular, Kateryna Nahorna presented the “Local for Local” international distribution model for Ukrainian-language releases abroad, targeting Ukrainian audiences outside the country. Case studies included “Mavka: The Forest Song,” the franchise “The Christmas Express / December 31st Express,” and the film “Mavka: The True Myth.”
“The Local for Local model demonstrates that Ukrainian cinema today has a global Ukrainian-speaking audience that can exist outside the bounds of traditional distribution,” Nagorna emphasized.
Valeria Sochivets highlighted the importance of supporting Ukrainian auteur cinema and the role of international festivals in maintaining the visibility of Ukrainian stories around the world. She also cited the example of the film “La Palissade” by director Philip Sotnychenko, which was presented at a number of international festivals.
Serhiy Lavrenyuk spoke about his experience collaborating with international studios, notably Lionsgate, and Ukraine’s potential as a creative and production partner for the global market.
“For major international companies, Ukraine today is not only a source of compelling stories but also a creative industry partner with talent, experience, and strong production capabilities,” Lavrenyuk noted.
The panel discussion was part of a series of industry events at the Ukrainian Pavilion in Cannes. The pavilion was organized by the NGO “UkrKinoFest” with the support of the Ukrainian State Film Agency.
As reported, the Ukrainian State Film Agency and the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival discussed the promotion of Ukrainian cinema at international festivals. Also, Ukraine opened a national pavilion at the 79th Cannes International Film Festival.
In addition, Ukraine and Lithuania signed a memorandum on cooperation in the field of cinema during the Cannes Film Festival.
https://interfax.com.ua/news/culture/1169392.html
Foreign buyers have become the main driver of growth in Batumi’s residential real estate market: in April 2026, their share of apartment transactions reached 47%, approaching half of the total market. This confirms that Georgia’s largest Black Sea resort is increasingly transforming from a local housing market into an international investment hub.
According to data from the Recov.ge platform, 1,292 apartments were sold in Batumi in April 2026, which is 12.3% more than in April 2025, when 1,165 transactions were recorded. The total market volume for the month grew by 27.4% and reached $85 million.
This growth was accompanied by a noticeable increase in the price per square meter. The weighted average price in new Batumi developments rose by 11.3% year-over-year to $1,351 per square meter. Prices in the primary market rose by 15.2%, and in the secondary market by 9.4%. At the same time, demand is concentrated specifically in new and modern projects: sales in new developments rose by 12.3%, while interest in the existing housing stock declined by 5.4%.
The key driver of growth is foreign capital. Non-residents accounted for 90% of the net increase in the number of transactions in April. Leo Chikava, Head of Research and Data Analysis at Colliers Georgia, notes that the share of foreign buyers has remained stable in the range of 44–47% in recent months, and during certain periods, foreign buyers have already surpassed local buyers in terms of activity.
Batumi differs significantly from Tbilisi in terms of demand structure. In the Georgian capital, domestic buyers remain the main driving force of the market: according to Galt & Taggart, in a January survey of developers, Georgian buyers accounted for about 77% of primary sales in Tbilisi. In Batumi, the situation is reversed: foreign demand is much more significant, and the share of foreign buyers in the surveyed projects reached 52%.
Among the most active foreign buyers in Batumi are citizens of Israel, Russia, and EU countries, as well as buyers from Ukraine, Belarus, and other post-Soviet states. According to Global Property Guide, citing Galt & Taggart, in 2025, buyers from the EU and Israel each accounted for 13% of sales in the surveyed projects in Batumi, while buyers from Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus together accounted for 11%. The exact share of Ukrainians is not disclosed in this report.
In 2025, the Batumi market had already surpassed the $1 billion mark in total value of apartments sold, and the number of transactions reached 17,053, which is 14.7% more than the previous year.
For foreign buyers, Batumi remains attractive due to a combination of a relatively low entry price, its seaside location, a high proportion of new projects, rental potential, and a relatively lenient real estate purchase regime. Against this backdrop, the city competes not only with Tbilisi but also with resort markets in Turkey, Montenegro, Bulgaria, and Cyprus.
Serbia hopes that Ukraine will confirm its participation in the specialized exhibition Expo 2027 Belgrade following the visit of a Ukrainian government-business delegation to Serbia, said Marko Čadež, President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
“The invitation is open, and we respect the motives of each individual country, but we sincerely hope that following the visit of the Ukrainian government-business delegation to Serbia, Ukraine will become the next, 138th country to confirm its participation in Expo 2027 Belgrade,” he said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
According to Chadezh, participation in the exhibition would be beneficial for the Ukrainian economy, as it opens opportunities to showcase the potential of Ukrainian companies and technological capabilities, strengthen bilateral government and business relations, and foster contacts with international partners.
“EXPO 2027 will be not only an exhibition but also a global platform for bringing together countries, companies, investors, and new ideas for development. Therefore, I believe that Ukraine’s presence would be important, especially in the context of the country’s recovery, attracting investment, and establishing new partnerships with the international business community,” emphasized the president of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Ukrainian cement exports to the EU are nearly blocked with the implementation of the second phase of the CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism); our country must take a proactive stance in supporting its own producers, emphasized Lyudmila Kripka, Executive Director of the “Ukrcement” Association.
“The conditions that the Ukrainian cement industry faced at the start of the second phase of the CBAM, that is, at the beginning of this year, can be more realistically described not as a ‘barrier’ but as an ‘embargo.’ We were assigned default CO2 emission values for cement from Ukraine at 1,518 kg/t of clinker, which is nearly double the actual figures, even using the wet production method,” Kripka said at the “Trade Wars: The Art of Defense” conference in Kyiv on Wednesday.
She also noted that there are currently no verifiers in the EU for the purposes of the CBAM, but even if there were, the arrival of European verifiers in Ukraine (a mandatory requirement in the first year) is unlikely due to the high level of security risks.
“Under such conditions, exports are impossible in principle! And we see the consequences: cement production has decreased, budget revenues have shrunk, and foreign exchange earnings have fallen, leading to an even greater imbalance in the country’s trade balance,” Kripka noted.
The “Ukrcement” Association, both on its own and together with partners whose products fall under the CBAM mechanism, appealed throughout 2025 to the government, the EC, and all stakeholders regarding the application of the declaratory principle for the duration of the war and reconstruction (this is possible under Part 7 of Article 30 of the CBAM Regulation on force majeure, which has devastating consequences for the economy and industrial infrastructure). However, according to Kripka, EC officials reassured them that the impact of the CBAM’s implementation on the Ukrainian economy would be minimal. First-quarter results showed that the impact is significant, effectively blocking exports.
“Currently, the EC acknowledges that the default value is incorrect; they also see a problem with the certification of verifiers, which concerns not only Ukraine but also EU countries. They promise to correct these issues within a month,” Kripka said.
According to her, these encouraging statements have prompted companies to resume exports, but the risk of catastrophic sanctions remains for companies and dealers that made these shipments.
At the same time, the cement industry is one of the leaders in domestic industry in terms of systematic preparation for the full launch of the CBAM.
“We have made significant progress in the use of alternative fuels, have concrete examples of launching our own ‘green’ power generation, conduct continuous emissions monitoring (CEM), and have verified these emissions using verifiers available in the country,” Kripka said.
Therefore, she emphasized, in response to the question “what is holding back the development of exports to EU countries,” one can point to “uneven competitive conditions.”
“We see that the world is shifting toward a model of economic pragmatism and the protection of domestic markets. Under these conditions, Ukraine has very limited time to adapt its economy to the new reality. “We must take a proactive stance in supporting our own producers,” Kripka explained.
She cited neighboring Poland as an example of healthy “aggressive pragmatism.” In 2024, Ukrainian cement exports to Poland totaled 854,000 tons. Poland produced 17.7 million tons of cement that year. In fact, exports from Ukraine accounted for 3.7% of Poland’s production. Meanwhile, front-page headlines in the press spoke of the “disappearance of Polish cement plants,” and an inter-factional parliamentary group called “Support for the Development of Poland’s Cement Industry” was established in the Polish Sejm.
Kripka emphasized that in order not to be left behind in industrial competitiveness, our country must take a proactive stance in supporting its own producers.
Serbia has the potential to become a key logistics and industrial hub between Ukraine, the markets of the Western Balkans, and the European Union, said Marko Čadež, President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
“By using the Danube route from the ports of Izmail and Reni toward Serbian ports and intermodal terminals, goods from Ukraine can be efficiently redirected to Corridor X and the markets of Central Europe and the Adriatic region,” he said in an interview with the agency “Interfax-Ukraine.”
According to Čadež, the development of intermodal logistics and free zones gives Serbia the opportunity to be not only a transit point but also a place where new value can be added to Ukrainian raw materials and semi-finished products before they enter regional and European markets.
“Serbia positions itself as an important geo-economic center of the region, at the intersection of Eastern European resources and European transport corridors,” emphasized the president of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
He also noted that Serbia could serve as a production and technology base for Ukrainian companies seeking to enter the markets of the Western Balkans, the EU, Asia, and Africa.
BALKANS, Čadež, EU, HUB, SERBIA, Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Serbian companies are interested and have the potential to participate in Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction, particularly in transportation infrastructure, energy, residential construction, and industrial facilities, said Marko Čadež, President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
“Once the war ends, Ukraine will become Europe’s largest construction site, and Serbian companies are interested and have the potential to participate in the restoration of transport infrastructure, energy and residential facilities, as well as industrial enterprises,” Čadež said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
According to him, the potential for cooperation includes construction companies, manufacturers of building materials, manufacturers of transformers for the energy sector, manufacturers of agricultural machinery, as well as companies that possess technologies for the restoration and modernization of industry.
Čadež noted that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has already expressed Serbia’s readiness to participate in Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction—specifically in rebuilding one or two cities or a small region.
“Through contacts with the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Ukrainian Embassy in Belgrade, Serbian entrepreneurs are already expressing their readiness to contribute by supplying their products, for example, to meet the needs of the energy sector,” noted the president of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
https://interfax.com.ua/news/interview/1169380.html
President of Serbia, RECONSTRUCTION, Serbian companies, UKRAINE
