Berezhna: Abramovych, Yefimova, Bavykina, Kadyrova, Shyman, Drobovych, Balashova, and Malykh join experts of Tysyachovesna program
Vice Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy and Minister of Culture of Ukraine Tetiana Berezhna announced that art dealer Ihor Abramovych, art managers Anna Yefimova and Viktoria Bavykina, sculptor Zhanna Kadyrova, and artist Kateryna Shyman have joined the group of experts for the Tysyachovesna cultural product support program. The list also includes Anton Drobovych, head of the Center for Human Rights and War Memorialization at the Kyiv School of Economics and former head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, as well as art historians Olha Balashova and Ksenia Malykh. Berezhna stated during a presentation for the museum community that these individuals possess the expertise, reputation, and experience necessary to determine whether an artistic project is truly strong and powerful.
The newly named experts join an extensive existing pool that includes director Mstyslav Chernov, film producer Volodymyr Yatsenko, choreographer Olena Koliadenko, journalist Yulia Tymoshenko, and producer Volodymyr Zavadiuk. The expert list also features Olga Viieru, director of the National Center Ukrainian House, Oleksandr Alforov, head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, and film directors Antonio Lukich and Alan Badoiev. Other participants include animation director Oleksandra Ruban, musician Pavlo Gudimov, theater directors Ivan Uryvskyi, Vladyslav Troitsky, and Tamara Trunova, as well as film producers Maksym Asadchy, Natalia Libet, and Maksym Serdiuk. Additionally, the program involves Bjorn Geldhof, art director of PinchukArtCentre, photographer Sasha Maslov, video bloggers Vitaliy Hordiienko and Volodymyr Kokhan, and music professionals such as Yevhen Filatov and Liuba Morozova.
To manage the selection process, seven competition commissions will be established across various sectors. The Ministry of Culture will oversee the selection of audiovisual shows and social media videos. The State Film Agency will manage commissions for feature films, series, documentaries, and children’s animation. The State Agency of Ukraine for Arts and Art Education will handle projects in modern music, performing arts, and visual arts. Each application will be evaluated by five experts based on ten specific criteria, including thematic relevance, budget justification, team professionalism, distribution potential, and social significance.
The Tysyachovesna (Thousand Spring) initiative, previously known as 1000 Hours of Ukrainian Content, launched its application process on April 3. The 2026 state budget allocates UAH 4 billion for the program, with up to UAH 3.2 billion available for disbursement this year. Berezhna also noted that the ministry will propose continued funding for the program in the 2027 state budget.
