The Ministry of Culture is launching the “Thousand Spring” project, worth 4 billion hryvnias, despite the budget deficit
The Ministry of Culture announced the launch of the programme, and one of the first to voice public criticism on Facebook was Denis Ivanesko, director of the “Ukrainian News” agency.
“Tysyachovesna” is an initiative which the Ministry of Culture describes as part of a drive to fill the information space with Ukrainian stories, strengthen the cultural resilience of society and create an alternative to Russian content. The ministry also notes that this is an initiative of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, being implemented by the Ministry of Culture and the Office of the President.
Legal entities, sole traders and other business entities registered in Ukraine are eligible to apply for the competition. Support is promised for feature films, documentaries and series, animation, children’s content, contemporary music, performing and visual arts, as well as audiovisual shows and videos for social media. Applications will be accepted from 3 April to 28 May.
The largest share of funding – 1.9 billion UAH – has been earmarked for feature films and series. A further 240 million UAH has been allocated for documentary projects, 490 million UAH for animation and children’s content, 300 million UAH for contemporary music, 400 million UAH for performing arts, UAH 300 million for visual arts, and UAH 260 million for shows and social media videos. For original and animated productions, debuts and children’s content, the state is prepared to cover up to 100% of costs; for other formats, up to 80%; and for some series, 50/50 co-financing is provided.
It is precisely this arithmetic that sparked the controversy. In his post, Denys Ivanesko wrote that the Ministry of Culture wants to cover between 80% and 100% of the costs for artists’ debuts, and that 4 billion UAH in a country at war will inevitably be compared with other needs. In the post, he directly compared this sum with new tax revenues and potential defence spending.
In essence, the conflict here is not so much about culture as it is about priorities. The Ministry of Culture speaks of information security, Ukrainian values and the displacement of Russian content. Critics, however, ask whether the state is prepared to spend such money on content at a time when any large budget allocations are automatically compared with the front line, weapons and the country’s basic needs.
This debate is taking place against an existing social backdrop. Previously, The Public reported that over the past two years, around ten state institutions have undergone rebranding, with the largest amounts of budget funds spent on updating or developing their identities by Ukrposhta, Sens Bank, the National Development Agency and the BEB. Such expenditure has also drawn public criticism precisely due to questions regarding its appropriateness in wartime.
Therefore, “Tysiachovesna” is a test for the Ministry of Culture to demonstrate its ability to explain why the state needs 4 billion hryvnias for a cultural product right now. Because for officials, this is a stake in the Ukrainian information space, whilst for the average reader, it is yet another major budget programme amidst a deficit.
