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October 24, 2023A number of companies in Ukraine will receive state financing for film production and many of them have close ties to the Office of the President.
This information comes from an investigation by “Bihus.Info.”
According to the journalists’ findings, this year several companies won a controversial competition for film projects and are set to receive state funding. Among them are many entities with connections to those in power or firms that had collaborated with Russians up until the full-scale invasion.
“The competition involved the allocation of over 400 million Ukrainian hryvnias (approximately 10.3 million euros) by the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture for film projects and series. This competition generated controversy when it was revealed which projects would receive budgetary support. One of the projects that sparked public outrage was “SMT. Ingulets,” created by television host Yuriy Gorbunov, whose main character bore a striking resemblance to the well-known agrarian figure Alexander Povoroznyuk”, as noted by the authors of the investigation.
The state enterprise “Multimedia Platform of Innovations of Ukraine,” responsible for disbursing the funds, resumed signing contracts with the winners of the aforementioned competition after a brief pause.
“The competition was announced in May, with participants given just over two weeks to submit their applications. It was a closed competition and information about the composition of the selection committee was not disclosed, citing security measures. According to journalists, the committee included the Minister of Culture, Alexander Tkachenko, and the Russian director of Ukrainian descent, Alexey Kiryukh, known for his work on the series “Servant of the People.”
Among the winners is the company “Filmstream,” which received over 30 million hryvnias (774,000 euros) for the production of three projects: “Continuation of the Lineage,” “Ferry” and the anthology series “Anxious People.” Previously, the company primarily worked on commissions from television channels, including producing series for the “Ukraine” channel. These series were in Russian and Russian actors were predominantly cast for leading roles. There is information on social media that Russian actors were involved in Ukrainian productions up until mid-February 2022.
The company “Energy Film Production” also received budgetary funds, nearly 40 million hryvnias (1.032 million euros), for the production of three projects: “My Movie,” a series about a psychologist called “Family Counselor,” and a 12-episode melodrama titled “Phantom Legacy.”
The company “Osna Film Production” received budgetary funds for the production of the film “Four Windows.” Earlier this year, the company presented the film “Yurik” about events in Mariupol and an 11-year-old boy whom his mother decided to evacuate from Mariupol to Estonia. The film caused significant controversy because it did not accurately reflect the events in Mariupol. It was later reworked and removed. One of the film’s producers and co-owners of the company, Tatiana Kutz, reacted to the criticism on social media, stating that the “Mariupol residents themselves went to the referendum and voted for Russia,” for which she later publicly apologized. It is also noteworthy that in 2020, the woman ran for the Kyiv City Council as part of the “Our Land” party but was unsuccessful, as reported by the journalists.
Among other winners are companies with close ties to those in power. For instance, “Artforms Production Ukraine,” led by the former spouse of ex-Minister Alexander Tkachenko, Tatiana Gnodash, will be producing a series about law enforcement called “Criminal Group” for nearly 16 million hryvnias.
The company “Kinokit,” affiliated with former Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Kirill Timoshenko, will also produce the film “Theater of Operations” using state funds. During Timoshenko’s tenure at the Presidential Office, “Kinokit” began receiving millions of hryvnias from the budget to create content for the “Rada” channel, which is now part of a major news marathon. Journalists point out that before Timoshenko’s departure from the Presidential Office, “Rada” was aired almost as frequently as President Volodymyr Zelensky himself and was even recognized as the “Face of the Year.” The company continued to receive state funds for creating content for the “Unified News” even after Timoshenko’s departure.
“Mainstream Pictures,” owned by the producer and former business partner of the Head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak, Artem Kolyubaev, received over 20 million hryvnias for the production of three projects.
“These include a war drama called “Mangrove Grove,” another war drama titled “One Big Family,” and a drama about the Mariupol blockade called “Art in the Shadows.” Journalists previously reported that this year, Artem Kolyubaev acquired stakes in various businesses unrelated to film production, from construction to drone manufacturing. Notably, one of the business partners of Kolyubaev in the drone manufacturing company was the previously mentioned Russian-born director Alexey Kiryukh, who according to journalists was part of the committee that selected film projects for state funding, including those of Kolyubaev. Besides his business activities, Kolyubaev continues to chair the Council for State Support of Cinematography”, according to the journalists’ report.