$100 million film and TV industry complex planned for Kyiv suburbs (02/19/06)

$100 million film and TV industry complex planned for Kyiv suburbs

by Yana Sedova
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - An all-encompassing film and television industry complex that includes movie making, digitized video production and Ukrainian-language dubbing is in the planning stages in a Kyiv suburb with the hope of breathing new life into Ukrainian filmmaking.

Business moguls Viacheslav and Oleksander Konstantynovsky will finance the $100 million project, currently referred to as CityKyiv. The brothers earned their fortune through Kyiv-Donbas, a Kyiv-based company that runs two construction firms and the Carte Blanche restaurant franchise.

"This is a unique project not only for Ukraine, but for the whole territory of the former Soviet Union," said Volodymyr Khorunzhyi, a Hollywood producer. "This complex will be the largest in Eastern Europe and will make it possible to renew the bygone glory of Ukrainian cinema."

Among participants in the project is the Hollywood-based Culver Studios, which produced such films as "Gone with the Wind" and "Armageddon."

Culver Studios will manage the selection and training of complex personnel and serve in attracting big-budget American and European film projects to Ukraine.

Gary Bastien & Associates Co., which built such film studios as Sony Pictures and CBS-Los Angeles, will manage design and construction of the 124-acre complex, consisting of 12 separate studios and a family amusement park.

"The film complex is like a hotel," said Viacheslav Konstantynovsky. "One can get the best service and stay as long as is needed for film production."

The CityKyiv project may resuscitate a moribund Ukrainian film industry, whose current climate is rather unfavorable considering that the government offers no tax incentives for investors.

Conditions are so limiting that Ukrainian filmmakers have no equipment or location to digitize or dub their television series and movies. They usually travel to Russia or Poland.

"Things haven't changed since the time I left Ukraine 20 years ago," Mr. Khorunzhyi said. "There is still no possibility to record an orchestra or chorus in Kyiv. Ukraine has been left far behind compared to other countries."

To pursue their entertainment careers, many Ukrainian natives now work in Hollywood and Moscow.

"Well-known Kyiv cartoonists have helped to create popular blockbusters such as 'Monsters, Inc.' and 'Shrek,' " said Mr. Khorunzhyi, assuring that there will be a separate building at the complex where cartoons will be produced.

The complex will be built in stages, enabling filmmakers to work in laboratories and dubbing studios, even while later phases are under construction.

"This is a dream of every filmmaker," Mr. Khorunzhyi said. "One could devote himself to creative work and not have to think about sending people to Poland or some other place."

Ukrainian filmmakers will have access to complex facilities at reduced rates compared to those for American, European or Russian cinematographers, he said.

The complex will create between 800 and 1,000 support staff jobs, according to Mr. Khorunzhyi.

"Without Ukrainian technical specialists, this studio is good for nothing," said Oleksander Konstantynovsky. "We could invite foreign specialists for key positions, but instead Ukrainian personnel will master all the equipment under their supervision since we all are interested in having then work at the studio."

Building the film complex is not the company's only investment, the brothers said. Part of the $100 million investment will be spent producing Ukrainian movies.

The company recently produced a Ukrainian drama called "Orangelove," a story about a red-haired Ukrainian conservatory student and her love interest, a Russian photographer. The movie will be presented at Cannes Film Festival this year.

The film complex project's leaders said they can foresee a time when that foreign film companies will soon come to Ukraine not only to shoot on location for beautiful Ukrainian landscapes, but to produce films. They hope to open their complex in two years.

"Maybe the next Bond [James Bond movie] will be shot in Ukraine, or the next King Kong," Mr. Khorunzhyi said.

| Home Page |