The Ukrainian government is launching a €50m cultural fund and a 30% cash rebate for international productions in 2026.
The announcement was made by the head of the Ukrainian state film agency, Andrii Osipov, at the Industry@Tallinn & Baltic panel on filming in Ukraine.
The €50m fund will be available for several cultural programmes, including books and theatres as well as filmmaking. According to Osipov, around 70-90% will be given to the Ukrainian producers and the rest will go to the international co-producer.
For Ukraine’s first-ever cash rebate, 25% will be for shooting an international co-production in the country, while an extra 5% will be available to projects that highlight Ukrainian culture through language, locations or specific historical events.
“My main goal is to make international and foreign filmmakers work in Ukraine, work with Ukraine, because we need the international experience as well,” Osipov said, via a translator. “We want the Ukrainian film industry to develop and we want to develop together with the whole world.”
The initiative was proposed by the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, with further details to be announced by the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture in the coming weeks.
Wartime filmmaking
The panel acknowledged that the ongoing Russian war had an influence on the filmmaking processes in Ukraine, from air raids and blackouts to martial law and permits, all of which can halt production.
Oksana Chornobryvtseva, deputy head in association of Film Commissions of Ukraine, stressed that the commissions will be on hand to assist with all the necessary support including additional crew, up-to-date information and emergency power.
“Ukraine is open to support all your production processes as efficiently as possible, even under wartime conditions,” Chornobryvtseva explained.
As for local features, Osipov revealed 50 Ukrainian films have been shot in the country since December 2024. Some of the projects had begun production prior to the war breaking out in February 2022 and had now received additional funding of around €1m to complete production.
While many filmmakers are at risk of being called up to serve in the army, or are already fighting, Osipov revealed that the state agency is in discussions about possible exemptions.
“I don’t want to compete with the Ministry of Arms but there is a huge backlash for our film industry,” Osipov explained.
The Ministry of Culture plans to give filmmakers the opportunity to finish working on a film without the risk of being mobilised. “For those who are already mobilised, they will have the opportunity to come back from the front line and make their movie,” Osipov stated.