Engagement with state institutions in the cultural sector involves ongoing work with government bodies, regulatory decisions, budget processes, expert communities and professional associations – from defining an issue and preparing proposals to participating in working groups, interinstitutional consultations and subsequent follow-up.

For the Ukrainian Media League (UML), one of the practical formats of such work is participation in the Public Council at the Ukrainian State Film Agency. UML Co-Founder Tetiana Ilchuk has been a member of the Council since its establishment in 2021 and was elected its Secretary at the first meeting.

During this period, the work of the Public Council at the State Film Agency has involved direct engagement with the State Film Agency, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Economy, the Verkhovna Rada and its relevant committees, the Cabinet of Ministers, the Council for State Support of Cinematography, representatives of the film industry and other stakeholders.

Ongoing Dialogue with State Institutions

An important condition for systematic engagement is maintaining continuous contact with the relevant government bodies rather than communicating only around individual decisions. Following the appointment of Andrii Osipov as Head of the State Film Agency in 2025, the Public Council’s engagement with the Agency’s leadership continued in a regular format. Since the beginning of 2026, monthly working sessions have been held in a question-and-answer format, during which Council members raise current issues concerning the Agency’s work and receive direct responses from its leadership.

This format complements formal appeals and decisions recorded in Council protocols with ongoing working dialogue. It makes it possible not only to articulate the position of the professional community, but also to obtain information about the institution’s approach, clarify issues and return to them in subsequent work.

At the same time, in 2025 the Public Council introduced a regular process for receiving initiatives and appeals from professional associations, civil society organisations, festivals, studios and other representatives of the sector. This provided professional stakeholders with a permanent channel for submitting issues for further consideration.

Participation in the Development of State Decisions

A separate area of work is the direct participation of professional-sector representatives in the preparation of regulatory and administrative decisions. As early as 2021, a proposal was made to establish a working group at the State Film Agency to improve pitching procedures, involving representatives of the Agency, the Public Council, the industry and other relevant parties. This format was intended to enable joint examination of the problem and preparation of specific changes, rather than merely submitting individual recommendations.

In 2025, representatives of the Public Council participated in a working group on amendments to legislation concerning state support for cinematography. The Council also worked on proposals for a draft Cabinet of Ministers resolution concerning the creation of Ukrainian content. Earlier, in 2023, the Council addressed the digitalisation of applications for competitive selections, the creation of an online resource, the updating of the regulatory and methodological framework, and the development of a methodology for assessing project effectiveness.

Thus, the participation of the professional community takes place at different stages – from identifying a problem to preparing specific regulatory and procedural proposals.

Targeted Advocacy and Engagement with Different Government Bodies

The issue of film industry funding is a particularly illustrative example. In 2025, the Public Council sent appeals concerning sector funding for 2026 to five state institutions, including relevant committees of the Verkhovna Rada, the Office of the President, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Culture. In 2026, budget advocacy continued through joint work with the Council for State Support of Cinematography. The Public Council’s materials include joint appeals and a joint statement by the two Councils, including on budget-related matters.

This approach makes it possible to address a sector-wide issue at different levels of public policy and to direct it to the institutions that have the relevant powers.

Another example is the work concerning Ukrkinochronika. The issue of the state enterprise’s activities was brought to the level of the Ministry of Culture in connection with questions of sectoral governance and the preservation of audiovisual heritage. Here, the engagement combined expert and legal analysis of the issue with its formal presentation to the responsible government institution.

Joint Positions and Interinstitutional Engagement

An important component of the work is the development of joint positions with representatives of other professional and state institutions. The partnership between the Public Council and the Council for State Support of Cinematography is one such format. Joint appeals and statements make it possible to consolidate the positions of the two institutions and present them in engagement with government bodies.

Another format is interinstitutional meetings. In 2026, at the initiative of the Public Council, a meeting was held bringing together representatives of the Verkhovna Rada, the Ministry of Economy, the State Film Agency, the Council for State Support of Cinematography, the film industry, media companies, civil society organisations and collective management organisations. The discussion focused on mechanisms for remuneration for the use of audiovisual works, the activities of collective management organisations, protection of the rights of authors, producers and rights holders, as well as legislative and institutional mechanisms in this area.

This format makes it possible to bring together government bodies, the professional community and organisations directly connected to the issue, and to move a specific sectoral problem onto a shared agenda. While an appeal by the Public Council serves as an instrument of institutional engagement with a specific government body, an open letter or public statement makes it possible to bring an issue into a broader professional and public context.

In the work of the Public Council, these instruments are combined with participation in working groups, meetings and ongoing communication with state institutions. This makes it possible to treat an appeal not as an end in itself, but as part of a broader process – identifying the issue, preparing a position, selecting the appropriate format of engagement and continuing to work on the matter.

For the Ukrainian Media League, participation in the Public Council at the State Film Agency is one practical example of work at the intersection of public policy, law, advocacy, strategic communications and stakeholder engagement. This experience makes it possible to work not only with individual decisions, but also with the mechanisms through which public policy in the cultural and film sectors is developed and implemented.

 

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