The Ministry of Culture is exploring ways to support movie theaters and possible compensation, says Berezhna
The Ministry of Culture of Ukraine is considering ways to support movie theaters and the entire film industry, which are suffering losses due to the full-scale war, Russian attacks, and ongoing air raid alerts. Specifically, this involves compensating for operating costs and losses resulting from canceled screenings.
According to Tetiana Berezhna, the ministry is working on the issue of supporting movie theaters in collaboration with Andriy Osipov, head of the State Agency of Ukraine for Cinema, and Deputy Minister Nataliia Movshovych.
“Right now, we are discussing this issue with Andriy Osipov, the head of the State Film Agency, and my deputy, Nataliya Movshovych. In general, at the government level, we are working on the issue of compensating businesses for the losses they have incurred as a result of the full-scale invasion and the latest Russian attacks. Therefore, the issue of movie theaters and the film industry is also being addressed. “It is clear that this is a specific issue, like all issues in the cultural sector, but within the framework of government policy, we are considering a solution given the constraints of the state budget,” Berezhna said.
She was responding to a question about whether the government plans to provide compensation to movie theaters for operating costs and screenings that had to be canceled due to the security situation.
Separately, Berezhna commented on the possibility of introducing a program under which moviegoers could receive targeted funds through the “Diya” app to visit movie theaters.
Currently, no such program is planned.
“If such a decision is made, we will announce it,” the deputy prime minister added.
Earlier, the public association “Union of Ukrainian Movie Theaters” stated that due to the security situation and prolonged air raid alerts, nearly all movie theaters in the country are operating at a loss and may not be able to sustain this burden for an extended period.
According to the association, attendance at Ukrainian movie theaters currently stands at only 10–15% of the levels seen before the full-scale invasion.
Andriy Osipov, head of the State Agency of Ukraine for Cinema, previously reported that the agency would propose that the government consider several options for supporting the industry. These include compensation for movie theaters’ operating costs, payments for canceled screenings, and providing viewers with targeted funds to attend the movies through the “Diia” app.
A final decision on the mechanisms for state support of movie theaters has not yet been made.
This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy and Minister of Culture Tetiana Berezhna.
Ukrainian movie theaters are facing a crisis: attendance has fallen to 10–15% of pre-war levels, and most chains are operating at a loss and accumulating debt. If the situation does not change, some theaters may cease operations in just a few months.
