“The full -scale war in Ukraine has dramatically changed all spheres of life, and the film market was no exception. Stopped projects, team losses, shelling and blackouts, and a sharp reduction in government funding at the beginning of the invasion is just part of the challenges that the industry faced. However, cinema continues to shoot, new tapes are released, and Ukrainian production is more and more actively declaring themselves”, – WRITE ON: ua.news
The full -scale war in Ukraine has dramatically changed all spheres of life, and the film market was no exception. Stopped projects, team losses, shelling and blackouts, and a sharp reduction in government funding at the beginning of the invasion is just part of the challenges that the industry faced. However, cinema continues to shoot, new tapes are released, and Ukrainian production is increasingly active in the world stage.
How the Ukrainian film industry was transformed with the beginning of the war, which is happening with funding, demand and requests from the audience what genres and topics are now working, and how the cinema has become part of the cultural front, we are talking to Olga Panteleimonova, founder and CEO of the production center.
What are the biggest challenges to Ukraine’s film in market since the start of a full -scale war?
The war has dramatically changed both the formats and the rules of our film market. Talents, security and investment were undoubtedly the biggest challenges. Many screeners have joined the ranks of the security and defense forces of Ukraine, defending our country. We also face the outflow of qualified personnel abroad, and unfortunately we have losses among the performers who died. Shelling and blackouts also have a significant impact on the filming process not only in the context of direct safety, but also because of the breakdowns of working schedules, although we have already adapted enough to these conditions. Medicals have lost its finances significantly. State support for cinema, which is critical for the development of the industry, has declined at times. Although in such periods, on the contrary, it should increase to intensify the information and cultural front.
At the same time, I am convinced that all the trials that appear on our way, the industry overcomes very decent, with tangible achievements. Despite the constant challenges that require attention, rapid reaction and involvement, we continue to work. And this applies not only to the domestic market, because we are confidently talking and declaring ourselves on the world stage.
Did the movie market be restored to the level of full -scale invasion at the moment?
Unfortunately, we are not, and we are still far from complete recovery. A lot has been lost: both resources and talented people who created a new Ukrainian cinema and this industry.
At the same time, sin is complained. Despite all the challenges, we do not stop: we shoot new tapes, present them, make new agreements, go to international festivals. We plan, create and move on.
Cinematographers – from directors and producers to managers – should constantly analyze the realities and flexibly change the approaches: in the style of feed, dramaturgy, communications with the viewer and the world. I think we successfully succeeds. Financial models of production, ways of bringing content to the viewer have also changed. New partnership formats have emerged with other areas of business and within the industry, when several market players, sometimes even competitors, began to combine efforts in projects, which was almost gone before. Our upbub strategy is built on this: we not only create our own projects, but also actively develop partnerships. Therefore, I think that the next, the less we will compare modern development with the pre -war industry.
Is there a domestic demand for cinema now? How did the audience change – its expectations, moods, behavior?
Yes, of course, there is demand. At the same time, we are at the stage when the viewer is just returning to cinemas. Of course, there is also part of the audience that continues to use pirate sites, and this, unfortunately, is very holding back the development of the Ukrainian film industry. It is also an extremely large problem that is catastrophic.
However, it is important to note that even those viewers who were constantly going to the movies have now begun to be more meticulous about the choice of a movie. It is not just about money that has become less for entertainment; We have learned to appreciate our time and attention.
Demand for Ukrainian stories is increasing. Ukrainian tapes about national heroes and Ukraine are significant for viewers – from war heroes to cultural and historical legends. Examples are “20 days in Mariupol”, “We were recruits”, “I,” Victory “and Berlin”, “Dovbush”, “The incomparable world of Nazarii Yaremchuk”, “House of Word”. The list, of course, is not exhaustive. At the same time, we also see an active increase in interest in entertainment content. It is important for Ukrainians not only to know stories about themselves, but also to have a rest. Because the information background is now too complicated and rich. People want to get out of tension for an hour or two for an hour or two for an hour or two for an hour or two. This is not only a movie-this trend is traced on both YouTube space and television.
Did the processes of films production have changed – from the idea to the set in the realities of a full -scale war?
Undoubtedly, they changed. I partly touched on this question when I talked about the challenges facing the Ukrainian Film Market. But the changes not only affected production processes, but also transformed the specificity of the requested content. Earlier, viewers preferred the favorite genre when choosing, today the choice is primarily focused on the value of history itself, even if it is drama or documentary. Demand for comedy has also increased significantly. Because the news background is too heavy and traumatic, and people are increasingly wanting something easy, positive, what gives at least a temporary sense of normal. We notice that society raises the question of whether it is normal – I think so, it is a sign that no one is about to give up and intends to live fully.
When we began to restore the market after the start of a full -scale invasion, we had to rethink the whole system of values and views on what modern Ukrainian cinema should be. We began to build a new model, taking into account the reality in which we live, but with faith in the viewer. Hence the exit of our tapes such as “I,” Victory “and Berlin”, “SBU: Special Forces of Victory”, series “Train” and others that have already taken leading positions not only in the Ukrainian rental, but also in the international market. And in production: an adventure historical movie “House with Chimeras”, comedy “Games of Heavenly Office”, dramatic series “Emergency help” and “Maritime Academy”, youth history “For the first time” in partnership with Alexei Komarovsky, military action triver “. They are all about different and at the same time – about us.
How did the war affect the financing of cinema? Is it possible to raise money for a big movie today?
Unfortunately, the situation I was only complicated. And the full -scale invasion of the involvement of funding was a difficult task, and now moreover. We have to seek support everywhere: international grants, external institutions, state support, domestic sponsors.
Is it possible without international assistance? No, for big movies. But sometimes for some content you have to do domestic finances, as foreign grants are a very long process, and it is necessary to release content faster. We constantly have to look for a solution even where they do not seem. But the output is almost always. And you want to believe that it will be not just no worse, but better.
Which topics and genres are the best? Has the interest in military topics or documentary increased?
I was already partially answering this question. If we talk about interest in military topics or documentary, everything is quite ambiguous here.
On the one hand, we see a large number of tapes dedicated to our heroes and modern difficult events – both in the format of documentary cinema and in artistic. For example, 20 days in Mariupol, Porcelain War and others are examples of powerful documentary stories about the horrors of war.
On the other hand, for example, Lubomir Levitsky’s tape “We were recruiting” – a motivational documentary story about our defenders. Now Lubomyr is working on the new movie Killhaus-a tactical action triver, which has already become a very expected mainstream project. Fighters of the 3rd OSHB, SBU special units and GUR of Ukraine are involved in the shoot. More than 80% of the film’s cast is real servicemen and veterans.
That is, at the same time, there are a lot of documentaries about the war, there is even a decline in demand because of such a large volume. On the other hand, there are stories that become resonant and known not only in Ukraine but also in the world.
How do you and your team attract international support, especially from society and partners, and how do they respond to the fact that during the war we continue to shoot and leave tapes?
I often communicate with international partners, donors, representatives of the world community. And I have to say that they are sincerely amazed that, despite the war, not only continue to create, but also achieve extraordinary results. This applies not only to cinema, but also to agrarians, medicine, industry and other areas of activity. It is a level that can not always afford even countries with a peaceful sky, stable economy and predictable development.
Sometimes foreigners cannot believe that people are actively going to the movies, it is difficult for them to imagine. And often we have to explain that it is not only stability, but also a kind of adaptation to life. We will never be able to explain how and through what forces we do, however, I hope, and they will never face it. We have to combine in our messages about our sustainability and assurance that we need help to win.
And about film production: it is for the industry and a challenge, and at the same time. We are very adaptive, extremely fast and decisive in our actions. In cooperation with foreign partners there is another difficulty – we make a much faster decision, often it is the key to moving forward. The second problem: if the reports of joint production, then foreign groups do not go to Ukraine for shooting for security reasons. It is necessary to plan everything so that both Ukrainian locations and teams to attract as much as possible, and do not lose co -production. We can shoot all over the world, but we want here.
So, answering your question: yes, we are actively trying to attract international support. After all, these are all additional investments, opportunities for the country, needed blood for the industry. But at the same time, we do not rely on it. If there is a great support. If not, we are looking for resources within the country. Hard efforts, but we manage to move forward.
