Today at 18:33
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy took part in the launch of the second stage of the national “ThousandSpring” initiative and met with participants, experts, and partners of the program — authors, directors, producers, musicians, cultural managers, and representatives of cultural institutions, UATV English reports, citing the Office of the President of Ukraine.
The Head of State emphasized that the main goal of the “ThousandSpring” initiative is to encourage the creation of new, high-quality, and compelling Ukrainian cultural products, created by Ukrainians, about Ukrainians, and for Ukrainians.
“This is the first state program for culture of this format and scale. It is important to emphasize: this is not a one-time action. I am convinced that this program should exist every year. I am convinced that in five to ten years culture should receive an impulse and create a body of top-quality Ukrainian content against which any enemy propaganda machine will be powerless,” the President stressed.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that more than 2,600 applications have already been submitted for the competition. These include hundreds of projects in film, documentary production, music, visual and performing arts. More than 150 experts will evaluate the applications.
The Head of State thanked the participants, experts, and the team implementing the program, noting that this initiative creates opportunities to produce more Ukrainian films, including documentaries, animation, music, and pro-Ukrainian content for social media.
“Such state support for culture will take place every year, and its scale should increase annually. This is extremely important, especially in these difficult times for us, during wartime, when culture is a very important weapon for protecting Ukrainian consciousness, our identity, and our future. The quality and ‘precision’ of cultural products created with state support are of great importance,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.
The President also discussed with experts and cultural figures the origins of the “ThousandSpring” idea, the growing number of Ukrainian projects on international platforms, young people’s interest in Ukrainian content, and the improvement of film education.
The Head of State noted that Ukrainian defenders on the battlefield need more weapons and drones to fight the enemy. Likewise, Ukraine needs more Ukrainian content because Russia produces a large amount of its own cultural products.
“Some say culture is a weapon. But it is definitely a shield of Ukraine and certainly a shield of our identity. The shield must be strong. And there must be no less content than the enemy has. We must squeeze out the Russians in different areas, starting from the battlefield and ending everywhere else. Culture, content, content in theaters, in cinema, in music, in exhibitions, and certainly today on social media,” the President added.
According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a one-year initiative to support culture is not enough. A long-term program is needed to increase the amount of high-quality content and encourage talented artists. The President also stressed the need to increase funding and attention for children’s films, animation, and books.
The “ThousandSpring” program is an initiative of the President of Ukraine. Under the program, UAH 4 billion will be allocated to support Ukrainian culture. The first stage — the submission and selection of applications — will continue until June 12. During the second stage, from June 17 to July 28, experts will evaluate the projects and select those that will receive state funding.
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