Ukrainian Film Academy and Netflix mark five years of filmmaker support
Since 2022, more than 1,200 creative industry professionals have joined the programmes, and filmmakers have received over 180 grants.
The Ukrainian Film Academy and Netflix marked five years of joint support programmes for Ukrainian filmmakers. The initiatives offer grants, training and mentoring from international experts.
The Ukrainian Film Academy, with support from Netflix, has marked the fifth anniversary of its joint programmes for Ukrainian filmmakers. On 5 November, programme alumni and partners met online to celebrate the local film industry and its talent.
Since 2022, more than 1,200 creative industry professionals have taken part. Filmmakers have received over 180 grants, more than 250 participants have had tailored training, and over 45 film projects have received development support. More than 30 went on to be pitched at international festivals, and 17 received awards.
Alumni projects have reached Cannes, Venice, Berlin and Toronto. The documentary “Traces” by Alisa Kovalenko and Marysia Nikitiuk was selected as Ukraine’s official submission for the 99th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film.
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Producers Volodymyr and Anna Yatsenko said that in the first months of the full-scale invasion, grants gave filmmakers hope and a chance to rethink projects conceived before the invasion with international experts. They also discussed changes in Ukrainian cinema, saying fiction films increasingly focus on people and relationships when approaching the war.
The latest joint programme by the Ukrainian Film Academy and Netflix focuses on director-driven feature-length fiction films. In 2026, 15 projects received script development grants of $15,000 each, along with mentoring and script doctoring sessions with EAVE experts.
Since 2022, Netflix and the Ukrainian Film Academy have supported Ukrainian filmmakers affected by the war or forced to leave the country. Five grant initiatives have offered script development and post-production grants, stipends, educational programmes and mentoring from international experts.
