Problems of Modern European Cinema Discussed in Ukraine

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• published: 20 Aug 2010
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Participants in the annual the International Film Festival in Ukraine got a chance to discuss current issues encountered in the film industry. Our correspondents have the details. The 13th International Film Festival ended in Berdyansk. Ukrainian filmmakers hope that this year will be a turning point in the film industry and that next year Ukraine will start producing more films. [Vladimir Goryansky, President, International Film Festival in Berdyansk]: "Documents have been drafted for the law, which takes into account Russian and European experience how to restore the film industry. Therefore, if we succeed in a legislative framework, then I think we will see the results very soon . As it was like in Russia before - just cinema boom. 5 or 6 years ago the movies there were on almost the same level as ours." Every year about 10 state-funded movies are made in Ukraine, while in Russia - two hundred. However, even in Russia, the film industry can hardly be called profitable. There are not enough movie theaters, and, consequently, profits from the rental are low. [Sergei Kashonin, Actor & Producer] "In America, there are more than 6,000 cinemas. In all of Russia there are only 500 cinemas. If there were at least 2,000 cinemas in Russia, 1000 in Ukraine and 500 in Belarus, then we can easily rely on that payback, and then the movies will pay for themselves, like they used to." But the problem does not seem to be limited merely to the construction of additional cinemas. We must still attract extra viewers. But today's film fans are often satisfied with a home viewing. Europe is not complaining the lack of cinemas, but the movie industry there is going through hard times. [Piero Tomaselli, Director of "Velma"] "If you make a film ,the film is made to be shown to an audience. In Italy at this moment it is very difficult to show your film to a big audience, because television is very powerful." The Italian director has been to countless film festivals with his film "Velma," which is about a complicated relationship between a sailor and a girl. He made the film last year in just 12 days, without resorting to public funds. Today in Italy, the government finances about 50 films peryear. That accounts for only one tenth of the 500 films that were produced here annually in the 1960s. And that time was called the "golden age of Italian cinema" for good reason. But the film industry in Hungary istarted shrinking only recently. Before 30 films were financed in a year, but now there are no more than 10. The problem is the same — it is extremely difficult to obtain profit from the cinema in the era of television. Moreover, Hungarian films are hardly very popular abroad. [Barnabash Tot, Director of the Film "Pink Cheese, Hungary] "We don`t really talk about things, issues, I mean writers, directors, that are dealing with everyday problems. So, our thinking is very abstract. And it often comes from high literature. So Hungarian films are often hard to watch, because they are hard to understand." Barnabash has brought his comedy, "Pink Cheese," to the festival It's a story of how difficult it is to find a common language for father and son. He is a director, and also an actor in it. The film has already won a prize for best music. The jury reviewed films submitted for the Festival; however, the real test will come from the audiences who see the films later on. The movies will be sent for the release after they have been shown at film festivals. NTD, Berdyansk, Ukraine