Platform algorithms, new ways of engaging with audiences, content promotion and sustainability models, and artificial intelligence are among the topics that will shape the program of Suspilne PRO*, an industry event taking place in Kyiv on September 11. The event will bring together professionals from the film, media, documentary, and creative sectors. Registration closes at 11:59 p.m. on September 9. Participation is free, but the number of places is limited.

“This year, we have built the Suspilne PRO program around the changes that are already shaping the industry today: who determines what audiences see, how the journey of a film to its audience is changing, and what skills creators will need tomorrow. It is important for us not simply to talk about trends, but to examine them from different perspectives and, together, understand where the industry is heading in the coming years,” said Alona Holiakova, initiator and producer of Suspilne PRO.

The first thematic session “Who Decides What We Watch?” will explore how platform algorithms and broadcasters determine what content audiences see, and how this logic affects creators and content production.

Speakers:

• Illia Diadyk — Programming Director of the Film Company Arthouse Traffic;
• Viktoriia Murovana — Chief Producer of Audiovisual Content at Suspilne Ukraine;
• Renaud Allilaire — Deputy Director for Geopolitics and Contemporary Narratives at the Knowledge Department, France Télévisions;
• Anna McGovern — Member of the BBC Editorial Team.

Moderator: Nataliia Boyko, Director of Marketing and Communications at Suspilne Ukraine.

During the second thematic session “Is It Enough Today to Simply Make a Good Film?” participants will discuss what determines a project’s viability today, how selection criteria at festivals, broadcasters, and platforms are changing, and why international co-production is increasingly becoming essential to the implementation and development of projects.

Speakers:

• Nataliia Libet — Film Producer and Co-founder of 2Brave Productions;
• Yurii Povoroznyk — Content Director at the national streaming service SWEET.TV, Editor-in-Chief of the film and pop culture media outlet Vertigo, and film critic. He has over 10 years of experience in media and film, focusing on the development of Ukrainian film content;
• Petar Mitric — Procurement Manager at Filmotor, expert in international distribution and festival strategy;
• Karol Piekarczyk — Artistic Director of the Millennium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival, Head of Film Distribution at Against Gravity.

Moderator: Julia Sinkevych — Independent Film Producer, Founder of JS Films, and Co-founder of the Ukrainian Film Academy.

The third thematic session “Who Will Shape the Future of Cinema?” will focus on how artificial intelligence, new platforms, and distribution models are changing the profession of documentary filmmaking, the work of creative teams, and the requirements placed on content creators.

Speakers:

• Pauline Tran Van Lieu — Co-founder and Producer at Hutong Productions (France);
• Mark Edwards — Producer and Media Consultant, former Director of Documentary Content for Netflix in Europe and former Head of International Co-productions at ARTE France;
• Sergiy Kulybyshev — Ukrainian Director, Screenwriter, and Playwright, author of more than 400 screenplays and member of the Ukrainian Film Academy, author of the SWEET.TV Original series Burying an Ex;
• Yevgen Synelnykov — Director, TV Host, and Co-author of the YouTube projects How the World Sounds… Ukraine, Craft Travels, 482. Made in Ukraine, and others.

Moderator: Viktoriia Sydorenko — Director of Human Resources at Suspilne Ukraine. 

In addition to the main thematic sessions, participants can look forward to professional case studies, Q&A sessions, and networking opportunities — a chance to connect with speakers and colleagues, make new contacts, and discuss future projects.

Suspilne PRO is an industry platform created by Suspilne Ukraine to foster professional dialogue between the public service broadcaster and Ukraine’s wider audiovisual, media, and creative communities.

*This event has received support from CFI, the French media development agency, and from the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs as part of their “Support to Ukrainian Media” project.

Suspilne Ukraine is an independent media company with a strong presence across all platforms: the TV channels Pershyi, Suspilne Kultura, Suspilne Sport, and a national network of local channels; the radio stations Ukrainske Radio, Radio Promin, Radio Kultura, Radiotochka. Find only verified news on suspilne.media, as well as on our national and local digital platforms. We broadcast in minority languages, represent Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest, develop the children’s platform Brobaks, and train media professionals through the Public Media Academy. Our Suspilne Mediateka platform offers unique video and audio archives dating from the 1920s to today. Defending freedom in Ukraine.