Guto Pasko discusses potential film cooperation between Ukraine and Brazil

Ukraine and Brazil are exploring a potential bilateral agreement to cooperate in the film industry. This initiative seeks to promote joint projects, facilitate the exchange of expertise, and offer mutual support for filmmakers in both countries.

The potential agreement, along with broader prospects for cultural cooperation, was discussed in a meeting between Ukrainian Culture and Strategic Communications Minister Mykola Tochytskyi and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federative Republic of Brazil to Ukraine, Rafael de Mello Vidal, held in Kyiv on March 4.

During the meeting, Tochytskyi briefed Vidal on the international cultural conference held in Uzhhorod in February, which brought together 27 countries. It was at this conference that the Declaration on Strengthening the Resilience of Ukraine’s Cultural Sector was presented.

“Ukraine also invited Brazil to join this initiative,” the ministry said.

Both sides acknowledged the vital role of Brazil’s Ukrainian community, which numbers over 1 million people, in advancing bilateral cultural cooperation.

Guto Pasko, a director, screenwriter, and producer of Ukrainian extraction, shared his insights on the importance of the potential agreement and the need for stronger Ukrainian-Brazilian cultural cooperation in a comment to the Ukrainian World Congress. 

The initiation of dialogue between the governments of Brazil and Ukraine regarding a bilateral film cooperation agreement is a significant and positive step. It unlocks new opportunities for enhancing cultural ties between the two countries.

This cooperation is of immense importance. Personally, I am particularly interested in this topic, as I have already created five full-length documentary films about the history of Ukraine and Ukrainian immigration to Brazil. However, in none of these projects was I able to formalize any cooperation, due to the lack of an official joint production agreement. Although some of these films were shot in Ukraine, they are officially considered Brazilian films, even though they could have been joint projects between our two countries.

Since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion, several Ukrainian producers and directors have approached me with collaboration proposals, but so far, we have not been able to reach any concrete agreements. Under Brazilian law, joint productions with countries that don’t have an official film cooperation agreement are financially disadvantageous for the other party.

An official agreement between the two countries would establish clear guidelines for producers to follow when working on joint productions. One crucial benefit would be the simplification of bureaucratic processes.

I am actively engaged with representatives from both Ukraine and Brazil to help advance this initiative.

Last year, during my time in Ukraine as a war observer at the invitation of PEN Ukraine, I took the opportunity to meet with the Ukrainian Institute, which promotes Ukrainian films internationally. It was there I learned about the Generation Ukraine project – a collection of documentaries by young Ukrainian filmmakers that the Institute is promoting at major global film festivals.

I met with a representative of the Institute, who is now working at the Ukrainian Embassy in Brazil. This personal connection has made communication much easier here in Brazil. By the way, just last weekend, we both participated in the XI Congress of Ukrainian Organizations in Brazil in Curitiba.

The topic of film cooperation also came up during my meeting with the Ukrainian ambassador to Brazil, Andriy Melnyk, when we screened one of my films at a Brazilian film festival.

Currently, I have several projects that show great potential, but once again, we are facing the same challenges due to the absence of an official agreement.

That’s why the fact that talks between the two governments have already begun is so crucial.

The first step involves diplomatic negotiations, which will eventually move to discussions at the ministry level in both countries. The final stage will be the signing of an official agreement between Brazil’s National Film Agency (ANCINE) and Ukraine’s State Film Agency, formalizing cooperation at the national level between Brazil and Ukraine.

I have already offered my assistance to the Ukrainian Embassy in Brazil to support this initiative and facilitate coordination with the Brazilian government and ANCINE.