Since the beginning of Putin’s war of aggression on Ukraine, there has been a very great solidarity with the people in Ukraine worldwide. Extensive relief actions were started immediately and coordinated by many volunteers.
Also from the film sector there are already many impulses to help. For example, Crew United – the international network of filmmakers – set up the website https://filmmakers-for-ukraine.com in a very short time. According to the claim “Find Help – Give Help”, offers are collected and affected people are connected.
Film festivals are also trying to raise funds and offer help in other ways, for example with benefit events. For example, the Krakow Film Festival will host part of the program of the Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, which was to take place in Kiyv from March 25, and show it at the Kijów (Kiyv) Cinema in Krakow
Die International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk (ISFR) has set up a special “Emergency Fund for Filmmakers” for film practitioners directly in danger due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. The Coalition and the Fund have been canvassing for funding and donations as soon as war broke out. In the past days, significant financial contributions have been pledged by Germany’s key national and regional film funding bodies (100K EUR), by the French-speaking association of documentary filmmakers La Scam, and by many individual donors.
The German funds include Filmförderungsanstalt FFA, FilmFernsehFonds Bayern, Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, HessenFilmundMedien, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, MFG – Medien- und Filmgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg, Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, MV Filmförderung, nordmedia – Film- und Mediengesellschaft Niedersachsen/Bremen.
The “Emergency Fund for Filmmakers” aims to help filmmakers with small grants of EUR 500, EUR 1,000 or EUR 1,500 to be able to assist in covering temporary relocation expenses, legal and administrative fees (visas etc.), to cover initial minor but necessary expenses required during the current situation. Filmmakers at risk can reach out directly to the Emergency Fund through contact@icfr.international
Decisions on the grants are taken by the ICFR Board. ICFR Board members represent its three founding partners, the European Film Academy, the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) and the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR).
Further information with extensive link collections of current help offers at:
www.filmmakers-for-ukraine.com
Beitragsbild © Filmmakers for Ukraine / Crew United