Culture ministry urges boost in 2026 cinema funding to at least UAH 500–600 mln

First Deputy Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine Halyna Hryhorenko has said funding for the cinema sector for 2026 must be increased to at least UAH 500-600 million.

"We will work to increase funding for cinema next year. We understand that if we do not finance the creation of content now, the aggressor will create its own content about our war. Accordingly, we must talk about increasing funding," Hryhorenko said in a comment to Interfax-Ukraine.

She noted that currently the budget declaration for 2026 includes the same amount of funds for the State Film Agency as for the current year - approximately UAH 120 million, which is insufficient.

"That is, we are not launching new projects. We continue to co-finance what was selected earlier. And we still have unfinished projects from 2017 and 2018, and the 19th pitching (2024 - IF-U). Therefore, the first issue is to restore financing for the industry, because this is staff retention and content production," the deputy minister added.

When asked how much money the Ministry of Culture is asking to allocate for the State Film and Television Agency in the state budget for 2026, Hryhorenko noted that at a minimum, they would like to restore financing in the "provisional" amount of 500-600 million per year.

"This is the minimum that is needed to support the industry, just so that people remain in their professions... Because we simply will not be able to recover after the end of martial law, because these people will leave the profession for other areas where they can earn money. And culture, which is always the lowest paid in our country, will be left without personnel," she emphasized, expressing hope that this year the Ministry of Culture will manage to achieve an increase in funding.

In addition, she noted that the State Film and Television Agency has the task of looking for international funds that can help Ukrainian film producers.

As reported, the state budget for 2024 provided UAH 663.4 million for the State Film and Television Agency, of which UAH 28.7 million for leadership and management in the field of cinematography and UAH 634.7 million for state support for cinematography, in particular, documentation of war crimes.

The state budget for 2025 provides for a 69.2% reduction in funding for the State Film Agency. In particular, UAH 204.1 million is planned, of which UAH 30.4 million is for management and administration in the field of cinematography, and UAH 173.7 million is for state support for cinematography, in particular, documentation of war crimes.

The head of the State Film Agency, Andriy Osipov, expects to increase funding for the cinema sector to UAH 2 billion in the state budget for 2026.