The court overturned the ban on the series "Matchmakers"
Today, March 27, the District Administrative Court of the city of Kyiv satisfied the lawsuit of TRK Studio 1+1 LLC and Kinokvartal LLC, determining as illegal the actions of the State Agency of Ukraine for Cinema, the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine and the Security Service of Ukraine regarding the ban on the screening of the TV series "Matchmakers" ". In particular, the court found illegal and annulled the corresponding order of the State Agency for Film Affairs regarding the cancellation of state certificates for the right to distribute and demonstrate the series. This decision once again confirmed the selectivity and bias of state bodies in relation to individual market participants, in particular the 1+1 media group.
Also, the court of first instance found the actions of the Security Service of Ukraine to be illegal and annulled the decision of the state body to ban the entry into the territory of Ukraine of the actor Fedor Dobronravov, who plays the main role in the TV series "Matchmakers". Thus, the court decided that the appeal of the Security Service to the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine and the decision of the Ministry of Culture to include Fedor Dobronravov on the so-called "black list" as a person who poses a threat to the national security of Ukraine are illegal and subject to annulment.
The 1+1 media group is pleased that when making a decision in the current situation, the court was guided by the facts, and not by the assumptions of the above-mentioned state bodies and departments. And although the reasons for blacklisting Fedor Dobronravov and banning the broadcast of the series "Matchmakers" were a mystery from the very beginning, such a court decision once again confirms the need to define clear criteria to avoid similar groundless and illegal bans in the future. Until such criteria are determined, such decisions will not only nullify the joint efforts of the market regarding a consistent policy of supporting the production of Ukrainian content, but will also testify once again to the lack of a transparent state system.
