Following public criticism, Ukraine’s culture minister Oleksandr Tkachenko said on Twitter that the reorganization of ‘Dovzhenko-Center’ has been suspended.

According to him, the fund and the museum remain in the status of a complete property complex. The authorities will also appoint a transparent competition for the director position and will conduct full audit.

At the same time, the ministry will consider the issue of giving the ‘Dovzhenko-Center’ the status of a ‘national’, which will increase its significance.

Tkachenko noted that the Ministry of Culture is waiting for details from the cinema state agency, and the ‘Dovzhenko-Center’ has not yet commented on the decision.

In August 2022, the State Agency of Ukraine for Film Affairs issued an order on the reorganization of the ‘Dovzhenko-Center’. This means the liquidation of the national film archive, which has been engaged in the preservation, research and popularization of Ukrainian cinema since 1994.