KIEV, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Ukrainian government will allocate about 18.8 million U.S. dollars from the state budget next year to support the development of the cinema industry, the cabinet's press service announced on Monday.
The funds will be directed for the financing and co-financing of 80 films and other movie projects, the cabinet said in a statement.
According to the Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman, the aid is aimed at attracting investment in Ukraine's cinematography and popularizing Ukrainian films abroad.
"We have a potential to become an influential and an iconic country on the global cinema map," the statement quoted Groysman as saying.
Ukraine signed a framework agreement with China last month to push forward joint cooperation in film and media industries. The deal, among other things, lays the foundation for the joint production of movies and other media content between the two countries.
Ukraine has also signed agreements with Israel and Canada on joint film production.
