The Ukrainian Film Academy and the EU’s House of Europe continue their partnership with Netflix supporting Ukrainian film and TV creators

Continuing their initiatives from last year, the Ukrainian Film Academy and House of Europe, a programme funded by the European Union, have again partnered with Netflix to help Ukrainian professionals in the film and TV industry who continue to be impacted by the full-scale Russian invasion. Creators will continue to receive support in their work, growing their skills and developing their creative projects.

The initiatives, supported by Netflix’s Fund for Creative Equity, will offer financial assistance to Ukrainian creators in their work and for the post-production of already-advanced projects. Additionally, the partnership will include two new partners – the European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs (EAVE) and the New York Film Academy – providing additional access to knowledge and training to hundreds of professionals in various industry roles.

Last year, the programmes supported 100 creative professionals with stipends, over 400 received access to digital education, as well as 48 two-person creative teams who received script development grants and online sessions with international industry experts. Out of those projects, 9 have already found foreign partners and co-producers, 4 have found international donor funding and 1 won the “Best Project Award” at the Series Mania co-pitching session, an unprecedented success for a Ukrainian project. More have been selected for presentations at various film festivals across the world, including Berlinale, Göteborg Film Festival and WATCH DOCS International Film Festival.

“More than a year after Russia’s unprovoked invasion, Ukraine’s creative professionals need support now more than ever. Together with its Ukrainian and international partners, Netflix is demonstrating that it is a reliable partner and supporter of Ukrainian culture in these extremely difficult times. Seeing the impact of these programs since last year, we know that they will continue to give our talented professionals even more support and encouragement” – said Oleksandr Tkachenko, Minister of Culture & Information of Ukraine.

“Russia’s war against Ukraine poses a threat to the Ukrainian cultural sector. Ukrainians are protecting and preserving their culture and we are supporting them. This partnership with the Ukrainian Film Academy and Netflix is another aspect of our support to the country’s creative industries: Ukrainian film creators have a lot to show and we want the world to see them,” – commented Ambassador Matti Maasikas, Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine.

This year, to help develop skills of Ukrainian film and TV creators and support their creative projects, the initiatives will offer:

• A further 100 stipends for creative professionals of all levels. Applications are already open for eligible creators on the House of Europe website until April 18th;
• A series of digital masterclasses for producers and line producers prepared by EAVE’s network of international experts, providing a comprehensive understanding of all stages of a project life-span from a co-production point of view, tailor made to the Ukrainian AV industry. Applications will open via the House of Europe website for eligible Ukrainian creators in late April;
• New support for advanced projects, via the Ukrainian Film Academy, with post-production grants of $10,000 each for Ukrainian fiction feature films or documentaries and a two-day digital post-production workshop, run by the New York Film Academy. More information on these parts of the initiative and the next steps, including applications, will be available later this year.

Finally, the script development grant recipients from last year’s cohort will continue to receive support through a group session to discuss the shape of the industry landscape plus 1:1 script doctoring and project development sessions covering financing, co-producing, marketing, distribution and festival strategies, delivered by EAVE.

Similarly to the previous year, every Ukrainian creator, regardless of their location, can apply for these initiatives. Extending the partnership with two new international institutions will offer even more opportunities for creators to learn new skills and develop their careers in the film and TV industry on the international stage.

About Ukrainian Film Academy

Ukrainian Film Academy is a Ukrainian association of experts and professionals in the field of cinema and film production. It was founded in 2016 to support and develop modern Ukrainian cinema. As of 2022, the Ukrainian Film Academy includes more than 500 film professionals. Since 2017, the Ukrainian Film Academy has been holding the prestigious annual event Golden Dzyga Film Awards”, a Ukrainian national film award given for professional achievements in the development of Ukrainian cinema. The main symbol of the National Film Award is the “Golden Dzyga” statuette, which symbolizes the rapid and relentless development of Ukrainian cinema.

About House of Europe

House of Europe is an EU-funded programme fostering professional and creative exchange between Ukrainians and their colleagues in EU countries and the United Kingdom. The programme focuses on different professional fields: culture and creative industries, education and youth, social entrepreneurship, and media. This encompasses 20+ separate programme lines enabling people to go for conferences, professional events, internships, and networking in the EU, or to enroll in study tours, residencies, trainings, and other forms of support. House of Europe funds cultural coproductions and cooperations between Ukrainian and EU organizations and the development of cultural infrastructure in Ukraine. Following Russia’s all-out war against Ukraine, the House of Europe put together a war response worth EUR 1.5 mln, including for the safeguarding of cultural heritage. Implementation of the House of Europe programme is led by Goethe-Institut Ukraine.

About EAVE

EAVE, is one of the leading producers’ training programmes in Europe with a unique global network of over 2600 producers to date. Working with a worldwide network of partners we are involved in programmes for producers in Europe, Latin America, the Arab world, Asia and Africa. Founded in 1988, our objectives are to provide professional training opportunities and to bring producers from different regions of the world together with the aim of facilitating co-production relationships. We believe that the support of independent voices, creative imagination and culturally driven companies within the global media industries is an urgent necessity in the 21st century. Through our work we aim to contribute towards the creation of strong networks of producers and to encourage the exchange of knowledge and skills which will strengthen independent production across the world.

About New York Film Academy

New York Film Academy (“NYFA”) is a leading film, media, and performing arts college that offers hands-on intensive undergraduate and graduate degree programs, certificates, and workshops across a multitude of areas of study in New York City, Los Angeles, South Beach/Miami, Gold Coast (Australia), Florence (Italy), and more. Its programs are accelerated and NYFA students can complete a four-year BFA degree in three years. Online program offerings are available and continue to expand with more programs being offered now more than ever. For more information, please visit nyfa.edu.

About Netflix

Netflix is one of the world’s leading entertainment services with 231 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, films and games across a wide variety of genres and languages.