In July–September, the State Enterprise “Center for the Protection of Ukraine’s Information Space” under the Ministry of Culture signed 43 contracts for services related to the production of video content about Ukrainian military personnel, totaling 144.8 million UAH, according to the Prozorro system.
This year, a series of documentary and feature films and series about Ukrainian military personnel will be produced.
The procurements were conducted without tenders because these companies, entrepreneurs, or public organizations became the winners of an art competition for the production of video content dedicated to showcasing the heroism and professionalism of Ukraine’s defense and security forces in confronting the enemy during the Russian-Ukrainian war.
It was reported by Nashi Groshi.
The two largest contracts, totaling 21.11 million UAH, were awarded to Osnova Film Production LLC, headed by directors Tetiana Kuts and Viktoriya Horenstein, who also own Agency No. 1 LLC.
In particular, the company will produce a feature series titled “24” for 10.74 million UAH, consisting of four 45-minute episodes.
The series is planned to be a chronicle of the events in the Kerch Strait in 2019 and a legal drama about the international proceedings during those events, when 24 Ukrainian sailors, carrying out orders from their leadership to pass three ships through neutral waters in the Black Sea, were captured by Russia and imprisoned.
The series is to conclude with an epilogue showing the fate of the sailors after returning home and whether their ordeal was truly over.
The company will receive an additional 10.37 million UAH for the feature series “MAMA. In the Flames of War”, consisting of four episodes of 45–47 minutes each.
The series will depict a mother who saves others while worrying about her son, whom the war has called back to service.
The description states: “At the same time, the work should tell the story of the main hero’s feat, the son, a veteran and war-disabled, who, against all odds, finds the strength to return to duty and become a hero of a new era – a warrior of the technological front, a drone operator, a commander of aerial reconnaissance, a person who changes the course of the war.”
On the company’s website, the list of projects includes the TV series “Mama”, “Mama 2”, “Khazyain”, “Khazyain 2”, and “Bot Farm”, as well as the controversial feature film “Yuryk” about Mariupol.
In 2020, Tetiana Kuts ran for the Kyiv City Council from the pro-Russian party “Nash Krai”, but did not win. According to the “PolitHub” project, Kuts was previously the general director of the comedy show “Diesel Studio”, and before that worked in various positions at the TV channel 1+1.
In third place was a contract worth 8.48 million UAH with Solar Media Entertainment LLC, owned by Tobacco Shop LLC of Yuliya Kondratenko. The company is known for the film “Babi Yar” by Sergei Loznitsa.
Other projects listed on the company’s website include “Coffee with Cardamom”, “Egregor”, “11 Children from Morshyn”, “When the Trees Fall”, “Woman at War”, “DZIDZIO Contrabass”, and others.
The company will produce a 90-minute feature film titled “Family”, about the home front and the people who are not in uniform at the beginning of the film but nonetheless play a significant role in the larger war.
According to the description, “the heroism of the characters is present in ordinary decisions, namely: to return, to support, to forgive, to stay, to protect.” The film will show “how war shapes the backbone of the nation, and how amorphous, parasitic people who have avoided responsibility for years suddenly begin to hold the line—not only on the front, but in family, friendship, and love.”
Film Company 2016 LLC, owned by Yuliya Radostina and Yevheniy D’yachenko, will produce a 60-minute documentary film, “Echoes of War”, for 5.3 million UAH. The project is a cinematic anthology of five films by young Ukrainian directors, united by the theme of the war’s impact on civilian life.
It will reflect “the directors’ voices as a new generation, exploring the war not on the frontlines but in the hearts of those who wait, love, and lose, with deep sensitivity and artistic courage.”
The company previously produced the fairy tale “Infernal Guidon, or Cossack Christmas” by Sashko Lirnyk, as well as the war drama “Exchange.
In addition, Atasov Film Travel LLC, headed by Tetiana Suchkova-Ladik, will receive 4.78 million UAH for the 3-part documentary series “In Defense of Freedom”, with each episode lasting 25 minutes.
The series is to be created at the intersection of documentary filmmaking, testimony, personal experience, and research. It should combine real footage from the frontlines, emotional interviews, and contemporary visual language, “capturing the living history of modern Ukraine through the lens of war, dignity, and the unbreakable human spirit.”
Each episode tells a separate story, but they are united by a common theme, where “freedom appears as a real experience manifested in body, word, and spirit.”
Information about the remaining projects can be found in the contracts via the links provided in the table.
