Published: 17 February, 2007, 05:41
Edited: 17 February, 2007, 05:41
President Viktor Yushchenko called on the Prime Minister to make sure all foreign films are translated into the official state language. By the end of 2007 cinemas in Ukraine will be forced to show at least half of all foreign films in Ukrainian.
The decision, though, is not universally popular. The mother tongue in the country, Ukrainian, is hardly the talk on the big screen. Until recently, Russian cinema's monopoly in Ukraine was taken for granted. Only 30 % of the audience is receptive to the idea of watching films in Ukrainian. The rest prefer Russian, saying the quality of translation is low. Demand for the big screen releases in Ukraine is now low due to changing politics. Dubbing agencies say they are missing out on the handsome profits that make their way to Russia instead. Movie distributors that mainly buy Russian copies are reluctant to make the switch. Still, some movie-goers are optimistic about the changes as the cost of tickets for films in Ukrainian may be lowered and more will be invested into the ageing Ukrainian film industry. Meantime, language policy remains a sticky issue between the embattled Ukrainian president and the new prime minister who campaigned on promises to give Russian an official status.