About ESFUF
The European Solidarity Fund for Ukrainian Films (ESFUF)
is an initiative proposed by the CNC to the other EFAD members during the Cannes General Assembly in May 2022.
After having supported various actions for Ukraine → at national and European level, EFAD and its members wanted to unite forces to launch a dedicated support for Ukrainian filmmakers, to help them completing their films or developing new projects, while fostering coproductions.
Since its launch, at the 2023 Berlinale, the Fund has supported 29 projects, of which 16 were in development stage and 13 in finalisation stage.
In 2024, the Fund, which welcomed new contributors, has been renewed for an additional year. It now brings together 19 partners from 18 different countries to support Ukrainian filmmakers.
Its budget has been increased to reach 1.5M€, paving the way for a strengthened support to the Ukrainian film industry this year.
the partner authorities:
- Belgium: Cinema and Audiovisual Centre of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation (CCA)
- Croatia: Croatian Audiovisual Center
- Denmark: Danish Film Institute
- Estonia: Estonian Film Institue
- France: Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (CNC)
- Germany: Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM)
- Hungary : National Film Institute Hungary
- Greece: Greek Film Centre
- Ireland: Screen Ireland
- Italy: Ministry of Culture
- Latvia : National Film Centre of Latvia
- Lithuania: Lithuanian Film Center
- Luxembourg: Film Fund Luxembourg
- Netherlands: Netherlands Film Fund
- Norway: Norwegian Film Institute
- Portugal: Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual (ICA)
- Spain : Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts (ICAA)
- United Kingdom: UK Global Screen Fund of the British Film Institute (BFI)
- EFAD (Europe): European Film Agency Directors association
The CNC acts as coordinator of ESFUF, managing the fund together with the Steering Committee composed of all the partner authorities.
Description and eligibility criteria
ESFUF PROVIDES support to cinematographic works, initiated by a Ukrainian director, at the development or FINALISATION stage.
The eligible projects are long-length cinematographic works intended to be first released in theaters, belonging to the genres of fiction, documentary or animation.
Beneficiaries are production companies established in the ESFUF contributing countries having a coproduction contract with an Ukrainian production company.
- The budget of the scheme in 2024 is 1,5 M€
- The amount of the development support is capped at 25 000 € for documentaries and at 50 000 € for fiction or animation. Finalisation support is capped at 75 000 €.
The first call was open on February, 20th 2023 and closed on March, 17th 2023. The second call was open on July, 10th 2023, and was closed on September, 1st 2023.
On February 22nd, 2024, two separate calls are launched:
- The deadline to apply to finalisation support is: March 15th
- The deadline to apply to development support is: April 5th
A project not selected following a first submission session may be resubmitted twice for the same grant. In the case of a second or third application, you’ll have to provide a note stating the developments and changes made since the previous application.
Jury members
The selection of projects will be decided by the ESFUF jury, composed of 7 experts of the European film industry.
Results of the 2023 callS for projects
Second call, results announced in December 2023
A development support was allocated to:
- Antonivka by Kateryna Gornostai – Fiction
Ukrainian production company: Moon Man LLC
Lithuanian production company: Just a moment
Amount of the support: 43 800 € - Ground zero by Zhanna Ozirna – Fiction
Ukrainian production company: Toy LLC
French production company: Good Fortune Films
Amount of the support: 43 800 € - Hard sub by Novruz Hikmet – Fiction
Ukrainian production company: Contemporary Ukrainian Cinema LLC
German production company: Plotlessfilm
Amount of the support: 37 500 € - Red zone by Iryna Tsilyk – Fiction/Documentary
Ukrainian production company: Moon Man LLC
Luxembourg production company: a_BAHN
Amount of the support: 43 800 € - Retention by Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobtchuk – Fiction
Ukrainian production company: Mellivora Productions
French production company: Paradise City Films
Amount of the support: 43 800 € - The blindsight by Ruslan Batytskyi – Fiction
Ukrainian production company: 2 Brave Productions LLC
German production company: CALA Film Central GmbH & Co. KG
Amount of the support: 43 800 € - The days I would like to forget by Alina Gorlova, Yelizaveta Smith, Maksym Nakonechnyi & Simon Mozgovyi – Documentary
Ukrainian production company: Tabor Ltd.
French production company: Les Valseurs
Amount of the support: 15 000 € - Under the yellow sky by Maryna Nazarenko – Documentary
Ukrainian production company: Cinema Sound Production
Estonian production company: Undi Teod Oü
Amount of the support: 25 000 € - Vona by Kseniia Kravtsova, Daria Onyshchenko – Documentary
Ukrainian production company: Arts & Rights and ДІМ Film House
German production company: Flare Films GmbH
Amount of the support: 23 600 € - War in Chernobyl by Oleksiy Radynski – Documentary
Ukrainian production company: Kinotron Group LLC
Lithuanian production company: Studija Kinema
Amount of the support: 25 000 €
A finalisation support was allocated to:
- Chrysanthemum day by Simon Mozghovyi – Fiction
Ukrainian production company: Mainstream Pictures
Dutch production company: Windmill Film BV
Amount of the support: 75 000 € - Clouds move with great speed by Roman Ostrovskyi – Documentary
Ukrainian production company: PE Iryna Kyporenko
European production company: tbc
Amount of the support: 39 000 € - Dad’s lullaby by Lesia Diak – Documentary
Ukrainian production company: DramaFree
Croatian production company: Petnaesta Umjetnost
Amount of the support: 50 000 € - Displaced by Olha Zhurba – Documentary
Ukrainian production company: Moon Man LLC
Danish production company: Final Cut For Real
Amount of the support: 15 000 € - Fragments of ice by Maria Stoianova – Documentary
Ukrainian production companies: Tabor Ltd & Mental Drive Studio
Norwegian production company: Indie Films AS
Amount of the support: 59 000 € - Real by Oleh Sentsov – Documentary
Ukrainian production company: AT Films LLC
Croatian production company: Propeler Films D.o.o
Amount of the support: 28 160 € - U are the universe by Pavlo Ostrikov – Fiction
Ukrainian production company: Fore Films LLC
Belgian production company: Stenola Productions
Amount of the support: 74 760 € - Up in the air by Oksana Syhareva – Documentary
Ukrainian production company: PE Oksana Syhareva
Lithuanian production company: Baltic Productions
Amount of the support: 75 000 €
First call, results announced in May 2023
A development support was allocated to :
- Ashes settling in layers on the surface
- by Zoya Laktionova
- Ukrainian production company: 2Brave Production
- French production company: Cinephage Production
- Amount of the support: 25 000 €
- It’s not a full picture
- by Maryna Stepanska
- Ukrainian production company: JS Films
- Portuguese production company: Bando a parte
- Amount of the support: 25 000 €
- Special treat
- by Antonio Lukich
- Ukrainian production company: Fore Films
- Irish production company: Feline Films
- Amount of the support: 50 000 €
- The shadows
- by Polina Kelm
- Ukrainian production company: Contemporary Ukrainian Cinema
- Lithuanian production company: Anaben Films
- Amount of the support: 25 000 €
- To the victory!
- by Valentyn Vasyanovych
- Ukrainian production company: Arsenal Films
- Lithuanian production company: M-Films
- Amount of the support: 49 950 €
- Unholy power
- by Roman Liubyi
- Ukrainian production company: Babylon 13 Production
- German production company: Benedetta Films
- Amount of the support: 42 200 €
A finalisation support was allocated to:
- A picture to remember
- by Olga Chernykh
- Ukrainian production company: Real Pictures
- French production company: LuFilms
- Amount of the support: 58 500 €
- A poem for little people
- by Ivan Sautkin
- Ukrainian production company: Babylon 13 Production
- Lithuanian production company: Nuline Kopija
- Amount of the support: 66 040 €
- Glyadyelov
- by Oksana Kravtsova
- Ukrainian production companies: Real Stories Production & DIM Filmhouse
- Lithuanian production company: Broom Films
- Amount of the support: 40 000 €
- Nice ladies
- by Mariia Ponomarova
- Ukrainian production company: Tabor Production
- Dutch production company: Labyrint Film
- Amount of the support: 66 310 €
- The editorial office
- by Roman Bondarchuk
- Ukrainian production company: Moon Man
- German production company: Elemag Pictures
- Amount of the support: 75 000 €
Contact Us
Manon Duverger
Project manager
Landline: + 33 1 44 34 36 28
Mobile: + 33 6 37 62 77 20
Lucile Revelon
Project manager
Landline: + 33 1 44 34 38 90
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Contributors
This fund was also made possible thanks to the involvement and support of:
