The association EFAD - European Film Agency Directors Association supported the accession of Ukraine as an associate member - a category for European film agencies that are not based in EU member states (Great Britain, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, etc.).
European Film Agency Directors association (EFAD) is a European association uniting 35 national film and audiovisual agencies, based in Brussels. EFAD membership includes the countries of the European Union, as well as Iceland, Norway, the Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
At the beginning of the year, Ukrainian State Film Agency started negotiations with EFAD regarding Ukraine's membership in the Association. In May, at the Cannes Film Festival, following the speech of the Head of the Film Agency, Maryna Kuderchuk, at the visiting EFAD plenary meeting, Ukraine received an invitation to join the Association: now we have a positive result of this important work.
In September, the decision must be approved by the EFAD General Assembly, Ukraine will be exempted from paying membership fees for the next two to three years and will be allowed to participate in the Association's competitions. This will be significant support for the Ukrainian film industry in a difficult period and strengthen cooperation between the Ukrainian and European film industries.