Minister Tkachenko signs Council of Europe Convention on Cinematographic Co-production

Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine Oleksandr Tkachenko and Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović Burić signed the revised Council of Europe Convention on Cinematographic Co-production in Strasbourg, France, on November 25.

According to the minister, the Convention will allow Ukrainian cinematographers to continue joint production of films with European colleagues.

"Until recently, we used the provisions of the Convention, drafted since its adoption in 1992. Much has changed over 30 years, and the rules of co-production between countries have had to change to be as effective as possible. The updated version meets the modern conditions of film production," Tkachenko posted on Telegram.

According to him, the document expands the scope of the Convention, opening it to the accession by non-member states of the Council of Europe, and introducing the concept of "official international co-products" instead of the concept of "official European co-products".

The Convention changes the minimum (5% instead of 10%) and maximum (80% instead of 70%) contribution of each co-producer. In bilateral joint production, the contribution decreases to 10% (instead of 20%), and the maximum contribution increases to 90% (instead of 80%).

The document stipulates obtaining co-production status in two stages: preliminary approval before the start of filming and final approval after the completion of filming and submission of all documents.

It is also possible to revise the text of the Convention: the Board of Management of the European Support Fund for the Co-production and Distribution of Creative Cinematographic and Audiovisual Works “Eurimages” shall be responsible for the follow-up of this Convention and will be able to propose the necessary technical amendments to the wording. Representatives of parties to the Convention which are not members of “Eurimages” but acceded to the Convention may participate in the meetings of the Board of Management of “Eurimages”  to consider this issue.

"Signing the Convention is a part of the development of film production in Ukraine, on a par with the improvement of conditions for receiving cash rebates by foreign companies shooting in Ukraine, the development of joint production within ‘Eurimages’ and increasing opportunities for the film industry in Ukraine," Tkachenko said.

At the meeting, the parties also discussed the preservation of Ukraine's cultural heritage in the temporarily occupied territories and in Crimea and further steps to monitor this situation.

The issues of Ukraine's activity in many other spheres were also raised: preserving cultural values in the conflict zones, ensuring the rights of national communities, and combating misinformation.

According to the minister, Pejčinović Burić praised Ukraine's participation in many Council of Europe programs and "stressed the important role of CoE experts in drafting several laws currently being discussed in Ukraine, including on national communities and the media."

"I was pleasantly surprised that the Secretary General follows the news of our country and is well aware of the situation: she participated in the Crimea Platform Summit in August this year and visited Ukraine in November, particularly the administrative border with the temporarily occupied Crimea in Chonhar. I hope that the signing and further implementing the Convention will give impetus to the emergence of first-rate joint international projects," Tkachenko stressed.

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