According to the results of the competition, five Ukrainian producers will be able to present their projects to the international professional community at the Producers Network section, which will take place from the 13^th to the 19^th of May, 2020. For the first time in the history of the Cannes Festival, Ukraine will be represented with a separate focus during the industry section.

The OIFF Contest Committee, together with the representatives of the Film Department of the Ukrainian Institute, will select five Ukrainian film producers through a public competition, which will last until the 22^nd of March this year. This year, the support of the Ukrainian Institute made it possible to create a separate focus on the Ukrainian film industry's representation at the Producers Network. Yulia Sinkevych, general producer of the Odesa International Film Festival, says the following about it:

"The Producers Network is a powerful industry platform that provides film producers with great opportunities for professional networking," Sinkevych said. —Every day the programme starts with a Breakfast meeting and every day is focused on a specific country. For the seven participating countries, this is a sign that there is active interest in their film industry. This year, Ukraine will become one of the focal countries — it means that the potential of our filmmakers is becoming more visible. We are constantly working hard to promote Ukrainian filmmaking, and I am confident that Ukraine's official participation in the Producers Network will greatly benefit our position on the international market."

The selected participants will be included in the official industry program and focus presentation, which will open Breakfast meetings on the 16th of May. On this day, the producers will have the opportunity to join a large-scale international networking and communicate with the leading film industry representatives at the festival where cult films are born.

"Among the priority activities of the Film Department of the Ukrainian Institute is to raise the professionalism of the Ukrainian film community and to strengthen its capacity for international cooperation. That is why it is important for us, first and foremost, to promote the effective integration of our filmmakers into the industry platforms of top filmmaking forums. The Cannes Film Market needs no introduction, so it's only natural that the institutional cooperation with it is integrated into the strategy of the Film Department of the Ukrainian Institute. The Producers Network section is a concentrated opportunity: a great number of producers, sales agents, distributors and representatives of top-level film funds gather here for several hours every day. Making acquaintances with them might be a powerful impetus for a film project and lay the groundwork for further co-production cooperation," says Natalia Movshovych, Programme Manager of the Film Department of the Ukrainian Institute.

The call for applications is open from the 20^th of February to the 22^nd of March. The names of the selected participants will be announced on the 25^th of March on the homepages of the Ukrainian Institute and the OIFF. Producers who have presented their projects in the programmes of foreign international film festivals and have had at least one commercial release for the past three years are eligible for the competition.

Please fill out the application form to participate.

For more information, please contact Natalia Movshovych, Programme Manager of the Film Department of the Ukrainian Institute: nataliia.movshovych@ui.org.ua.

More details about the Producers Network project here.