There are those seeking an answer

A new nonprofit organization bearing the impressive title of Ukrainian Cinematography Development Center (UCDC) emerged in Ukraine quite recently. Its members, a group of young people led by the creative director, Yuri Illienko, held a press conference gathering a large number of journalists at the Stina Restaurant.

Their purpose is self-evident: revival of the Ukrainian filmmaking industry, eventually raising it to the «highest level of world culture.» A noble cause indeed, one of a global scope, although one is reminded that this has been tried before more than once but to no avail. Nobody can see any revival of Ukrainian film.

It is possible, of course, that the UCDC founders know a magic answer to the question of how to do this. The more so that Yuri Illienko declared, «When founding the center we took into account the negative experience of similar endeavors by the state and private entities,» adding that the problem is a very pressing one; audiences are longing for Ukrainian productions as evidenced by a recent poll. To which some of his colleagues responded good-humoredly, «I bet they carried out that poll at the Dovzhenko Studios.» The fact remains, however, that Ukrainian movies are quite popular today. Incidentally, television people were the quickest to respond and hurried to start work on several television series (it is established beyond reasonable doubt that these productions have higher ratings than all those Latin American soap operas). In other words, the Ukrainian cinema stands a very good chance. The problem is how to go about taking advantage of it.

Oleksiy Maryshkin, a young producer at the head of UCDC (the idea was his, in fact), thinks he knows how. He started by sharing his plans. Lots of them, including master classes (he hopes to contract Nikita Mikhalkov), festivals, creative tours, campaigns against video and audio piracy, and most importantly, releasing a high budget and several medium- and low- budget productions, while supporting student filmmaking, assisting with various television series, and so forth. It all sounded so good, I became enthusiastic. Great, isn't it? Except that no one mentioned precisely how or using what vehicles all these plans would be carried out.

Moreover, projects like that would require at least $500,000. Where can one get such money? «There's money,» Yuri Illienko said confidently, adding, «but not in the cinema.» UCDC is thus determined to attract this money to filmmaking and make Ukrainian films profitable. According to Mr. Maryshkin, there are numerous companies willing to invest there, because filmmaking can be made lucrative. But how? Considering that the national filmmaking industry has been ruined and rebuilding it will take a very long time. Who will invest in the rubble left? Mr. Maryshkin suggests that the money be obtained from show business reserves by saving on gala shows on Independence Square and channeling this money into filmmaking. A good idea, but it requires convincing show business financiers. How? Nobody knows. Hard as they tried, the UCDC spokesmen could not dispel the journalists' doubts.

Too bad, because all those present wanted to hear about a specific, realistic action plan, so that the day would come when one would be able to take one's girlfriend to a picture show, and I mean a real good Ukrainian movie. Doubt or not, I want to believe that UCDC will reach if not all then some of its goals.