Dr. Olga Gontarska: Films Without a Viewer – Film Production and Cultural Policy in Ukraine in the Pre-Maidan Period

Ústav východoevropských studií FF UK zve na přednášku dr. Olgy Gontarské „Films Without a Viewer: Film Production and Cultural Policy in Ukraine in the Pre-Maidan Period“, která se uskuteční 12. října 2023, od 17:00 ve Slovanském ústavu Akademie věd.

The war, which started in 2014 and then escalated by the full-scale Russian invasion on 24th February 2022, attracted the world’s attention to Ukraine. A number of events have already focused on the cultural representations of this war. Meanwhile, the pre-Maidan Ukrainian films still remain neglected and hardly have been recognized.
However, the production context of these films can provide an insight into the specific pre-Maidan conditions in Ukraine. A state-directed cultural policy resulted in the phenomenon of ‘a cinema without a viewer’ and in filling Ukrainian cultural space with foreign content. The key problem was a lack of effective and transparent legal and financial procedures, as well as a lack of relevant promotional support.

The consequences were more severe than official censorship. Ukrainian filmmakers were deprived of power and influence in the debates on identity and memory. Despite the tough conditions, they tried to make films – films which are now often overlooked, ignored or forgotten.