Key facts
- Ukraine has launched the "1,000 Springs" initiative with a budget of $76.7 million.
- The project aims to fund the creation of 1,000 hours of Ukrainian-language content.
- The initiative seeks to support Ukrainian culture, reduce Russian-language influence, and promote national identity.
- Projects were selected across categories including film, television, music, and visual arts.
- Concerns were raised regarding the judging process, including evaluation criteria and time constraints.
Ukraine is implementing a significant state-funded initiative, "1,000 Springs," to bolster its cultural sector amidst the ongoing war with Russia. Proposed by President Volodymyr Zelensky in fall 2025, the project allocates Hr 4 billion (approximately $76.7 million) from the state budget to support the creation of 1,000 hours of Ukrainian-language content. The initiative, formally launched by the Culture Ministry this spring, aims to not only support Ukrainian artists but also to increase the presence of Ukrainian-language material and diminish the influence of Russian-language content within the country.
The "1,000 Springs" website encourages artists to submit proposals covering a wide array of subjects, including Ukrainian history, folklore, natural heritage, wartime experiences, mental health, and language preservation. The selection process involved three stages, with final presentations to expert panels concluding on August 19. However, the scale and diversity of the projects presented challenges, leading to concerns from within the cultural sphere regarding the adequacy of evaluation criteria and the time allotted for presentations.
Filmmaker Iryna Tsilyk noted the difficulty of categorizing vastly different projects, such as children's films and adult auteur documentaries, within the same submission bracket. She also expressed concern that the limited time for presentations and Q&A sessions might cause valuable projects to be overlooked. Despite these concerns, a substantial number of projects were selected across various categories, including "Feature Film and TV," "Documentary TV and Film," "Children's TV and Film," "Contemporary Music," "Performative Arts," "Visual Arts," and "Audiovisual Shows and Video Clips for Social Media."
Culture Minister Tetiana Berezhna addressed potential conflicts of interest by implementing a closed lottery system for assigning projects to experts and reassigning them if conflicts arose. She emphasized the need for ongoing discussion and improvement to refine the competition for future years. Writer Oksana Moroz, an expert in the "Audiovisual Shows and Video Clips for Social Media" category, suggested that future competitions should place a greater emphasis on distribution and promotion strategies, as many applicants lacked detailed plans in these areas. She also proposed an "online school" to help applicants better understand project conceptualization, distribution, and budgeting.
President Zelensky has expressed his hope that "1,000 Springs" will become a lasting tradition, underscoring the importance of sustained state support for the cultural industry over the next five to 10 years. The initiative reflects a broader recognition, as articulated by Minister Berezhna, that culture is not merely entertainment but a vital component of Ukraine's national interest and economy.