Film Industry Office Programme Announced for the 17th Odesa International Film Festival

As part of the 17th Odesa International Film Festival (27 August – 4 September, Kyiv), the professional Film Industry Office programme will traditionally take place. The section will bring together Ukrainian and international producers, directors, screenwriters, actors, representatives of TV channels and OTT platforms, distributors, festival programmers, film critics, and other audiovisual industry professionals, as well as military personnel and veterans.

The Film Industry Office programme will run from 28 August to 3 September and will include panel discussions, case studies, international professional meetings, a producers’ laboratory, a workshop by the European script development lab LESS IS MORE, a pitching session, the OIFF 24-Hour Challenge, and a dedicated acting programme, The Actor’s Lab.

28 August

The programme will open with the panel discussion “Tyсячovesna: Prospects for Film Exhibition in Ukraine.” Following the Tyсячovesna pitching initiative, the Ukrainian industry is preparing to produce a significant volume of new content. Representatives of the State Film Agency, television channels, streaming platforms, and cinemas will discuss how many Ukrainian films the market can realistically accommodate and what kind of project is needed to find its audience. The discussion will be moderated by OIFF CEO Anna Machukh.

In the discussion “Critic. Journalist. PR Manager: Who Shapes the Story Around a Film?”, Liena Chychenina, Yelyzaveta Sushko, Dmytro Desiateryk, and Iryna Tatarenko, together with moderator Tetiana Vlasova, will discuss how the ecosystem of public resonance around a film functions and which communication mistakes filmmakers most often make.

The panel “Cultural Resistance: How Art Resists Totalitarianism” will explore the role of culture in the struggle for freedom, the preservation of collective memory, and the formation of national identity. Participants include Serhii Lavreniuk, Vadym Karpiak, Andrii Osipov, Kateryna Sheveliuk, Iryna Soloshenko, and Olena Stiazhkina. The discussion will be moderated by Polina Tolmachova.

A special focus of the first day will be veterans and military personnel in film and television. During the panel “Veterans, War and Cinema: New Heroes, New Professions,” participants will discuss how wartime experience is transforming the audiovisual industry and how veterans are integrating into it — on screen, behind the camera, and within creative teams. Speakers include Anastasiia Rozlutska, Volodymyr Yatsenko, Akhtem Seitablaiev, Dmytro Khrypun, Hlib Stryzhko, and Maksym Sukhenko. The panel will be moderated by Yuliia Zorii.

The future of the Ukrainian media market will be discussed during the panel “OTT Platforms and TV Channels: Looking into the Future of Collaboration and Joint Content Creation.” Representatives of ICTV, ICTV2, MEGOGO, SWEET.TV, and TET will discuss whether television and streaming platforms remain competitors or whether the future of the industry lies in co-production and new distribution models.

The day’s open programme will conclude with the discussion “Ethics of Working with Women in the Military in Cinema.” Female directors, veterans, and servicewomen will discuss the balance between artistic vision and psychological safety, working with personal stories, and the principles of creating honest and empowering films about Ukrainian service members. The discussion will be moderated by Kateryna Pryimak, head of the VETERANKA Movement.

29 August

Film Industry Office will present two case studies of Ukrainian television series.

The team behind “Hovayuchy Kolyshniu” (Hiding the Ex) will demonstrate how original content for a streaming platform is created — from the initial concept to the finished product. Director and creator Serhii Kulybyshev and SWEET.TV General Producer Yurii Povoroznyk will discuss story selection, balancing creative vision with audience needs, and the decisions that must be made during production.

The case study of “Tykha Nava” (Silent Backwater) will focus on the first Ukrainian true-crime series and its journey from concept to release on Kyivstar TV. Anna Honchar, Nataliia Panchenko, Maryna Kaplun, Dmytro Adriianov, and Anastasiia Pustovit will discuss the partnership between the platform and the production team, as well as how to work with stories inspired by real crimes.

The same day will feature the panel “How Will We Remember This War: Cinema, Memory and Memorialisation,” with Haiane Avakian, Vadym Karpiak, and Liubomyr Levytskyi. The discussion will focus on how collective memory of the war is already being formed and the role cinema plays in preserving and interpreting it.

Another discussion, “War in the Frame: Ethics and Responsibility,” will address the boundaries between creative freedom and truth, art and propaganda. Military personnel and filmmakers will discuss working with real-life stories and traumatic experiences, as well as the responsibility of filmmakers toward their subjects, military personnel, society, and audiences.

30 August

The programme will focus on international cooperation and the place of Ukrainian cinema in the global context.

During the panel “How to Create an International Co-Production During Wartime,” Ukrainian producers will share practical experience in finding partners, building financing structures, rights allocation, and organising production during a full-scale war. Participants include Nataliia Libet, Anna Yatsenko, Dmytro Sukholytkyi-Sobchuk, Ihor Savychenko, and Oleksandra Kravchenko. The discussion will be moderated by Nataliia Movshovych, Deputy Minister of Culture of Ukraine for European Integration.

The English-language panel “The State of Ukrainian Cinema: An International Perspective” will bring together international experts who regularly evaluate, select, and work with Ukrainian projects. Jean-Baptiste Bailly-Maitre (sales agent), Freddy Olsson (festival programmer), Simone Baumann (ESFUF Fund jury member), Antoine Le Bos (script consultant and mentor), and Bernard Besserglik (film critic) will discuss how Ukrainian cinema is perceived in Europe today and how the international industry assesses its development.

The same day will feature the discussion “Business and Cinema: New Partnership Models.” Speakers will explore how the film industry and business can collaborate today—from sponsorship and patronage to investments, strategic partnerships, and joint projects. Participants include Mariia Skvortsova, Alona Tymoshenko, Liubomyr Levytskyi, Pavlo Sushko, and Anna Honchar.

The day will conclude with the discussion “Documentary Animation in Contemporary Realities,” focusing on animation as a tool for understanding and documenting modern reality, working with testimonies, traumatic experiences, and events that cannot always be captured by a camera. The moderator will be Oleh Malamuzh, and participants will include Iryna Tsilyk, Mariia Yanko, and Yuliia Kotsiuba.

A separate component of the Film Industry Office will be The Actor’s Lab — a multi-day professional programme for actors.

31 August

The programme will feature an open Q&A session with director, screenwriter, and producer Dmytro Sukholytkyi-Sobchuk, the discussion “What Concerns Actors the Most” with leading Ukrainian casting directors, and a presentation of the international platform The Actors Home with casting director Lucy Lennox and actress Nastasiia Shapoval.

A closed three-hour acting intensive, “Creating a Character,” led by Lesia Ostrovska, will also take place.

1 September

Participants of The Actor’s Lab will discuss professional standards for working with intimate scenes in Ukraine and abroad, the specifics of child casting, and the role of parents in supporting a child’s acting career.

A major event of the programme will be the lecture-workshop “The Actor on Screen. Tandem: Director + Cinematographer,” featuring director Yuliia Pavlova and cinematographer Serhii Revutskyi. The practical part of the workshop will involve a live filming session projected onto a large screen in real time.

2 September

The Actor’s Lab programme will include the panel “Working with Actors in Comedy,” featuring Antonio Lukich, Pavlo Ostrikov, Arkadii Nepytaliuk, and Serhii Kulybyshev.

Another discussion, “Will AI Replace Actors?”, will focus on how artificial intelligence is transforming the acting profession and audiovisual production through digital likenesses, synthetic voices, professional rights, and the boundary between a technological tool and the replacement of human performers.

The programme will also include the lecture “Legal Self-Protection for Actors” with Dmytro Malyshev, as well as the panel “Ukrainian Actors in International and Co-Production Projects.” Casting directors Olha Liubarova, Tetiana Vladzimirska, and Nika Bondar will discuss the requirements of the international market and preparation for international casting opportunities.

At the same time, Film Industry Office will host Katriel Schory’s Producers’ Lab, the LESS IS MORE Script Development Lab, the OIFF 24-Hour Challenge, and the workshop “Development Mini-Slate: How to Prepare a Strong Application” led by Mykola Ulianov, Head of the Creative Europe Desk Ukraine.

On 2 September, a pitching session for Ukrainian film projects will also take place in three categories: Development: Fiction, Development: Documentary, and Work in Progress.

On 3 September, the Day of Ukrainian Cinema, supported by the State Film Agency of Ukraine, will be held at the Oscar Cinema.

Most panel discussions, case studies, and The Actor’s Lab events will be open to the public. The Producers’ Lab, Script Lab, selected workshops, and the 24-Hour Challenge will be held in a closed format, accessible through prior selection or registration.

The full Film Industry Office programme is available on the Odesa International Film Festival website.

Passes for the Film Industry Office section can be purchased at:
https://new.oiff.com.ua/choose-your-pass-2026

 

The 17th Odesa International Film Festival is held with the support of:

• State Film Agency of Ukraine
• Ukrainian Cultural Foundation

General Partners

• Work.ua
• ARARAT (General Sponsor)
• BRIGHT POINT Skalyha Foundation

Film Industry Office General Partner

• UPHub

Automotive Partner

• Peugeot

Film Industry Office Partners

• Cinema Sound UA Production
• Tabor Film Company

Media Partners

• 1+1 media (General Media Partner)
• Starlight Media (General Information Partner)
• ICTV2
• 1+1 Ukraine
• MEGOGO
• Kyivstar TV

Creative Partner

• Starlight Creative

PR Partner

• NAME PR

Educational Partner

• KSE (Kyiv School of Economics)

Mobility Partner

• Bolt

Lifestyle and Fashion Partners

• JetSetter.ua
• Harper’s Bazaar
• BACKSTAGE (Official Beauty Partner of OIFF Ceremonies)
• RENT A BRAND (Official Evening Wear Partner of the Odesa International Film Festival)

Social Partners

• Children of Heroes Charity Foundation
• VETERANKA Movement

Investment Partners

• TA Ventures
• ICLUB

Supported by

• Instytut Adama Mickiewicza
• Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine
• Polish Institute in Kyiv
• German Films
• Embassy of the State of Israel in Ukraine

Official Festival Venues

• Parkovy Congress and Exhibition Centre — a world-class event venue complex located in the heart of Kyiv
• Zhovten Cinema
• Oscar Cinema