Six Ukrainian film projects have postponed shoots after studios ran short of 16mm stock, a scarcity that has now exposed an unusual arrangement behind the country’s latest shipment. Records in a public procurement register show that 860 of 1,120 reels were designated for shared industry use, but a contract placed them in the exclusive custody of one production company.
The stock was bought for Red Approach, an aviation thriller produced by Kyiv-based Marshline Pictures. The company received a 126 million hryvnia grant (about €2.6 million) from the fictional State Screen Fund; the stock purchase alone cost 11.8 million hryvnias (about €245,000).
The shipment that vanished
The shortage became acute this week when a distributor in Warsaw told Ukrainian camera-rental businesses it had no more 16mm stock available until January. The shipment, the first of its size to reach Ukraine in 18 months, had been split between Red Approach’s shooting needs and a reserve intended for other productions.
Grēta S. Mangulis, who runs a Kyiv camera-rental cooperative, said six clients had delayed or cut shoots since Monday. “We were told there would be stock for everyone. Then the shelves were bare, and one production still has hundreds of reels behind its own locked door,” she said.
The register lists 860 reels as a “shared production reserve”, but an attached supply agreement gives Marshline control of all 1,120 until 31 March. It includes no release timetable or process for other filmmakers to request stock. The six affected projects range from a short historical drama to two feature films, according to booking records seen by The Plausible Post.
Producer disputes the account
Radek I. Čurda, Marshline’s production manager, said the company had not taken stock intended for competitors. He said the shared reserve was “a planning label, not a public warehouse”, and that most reels were needed for the film’s final shooting schedule. The company has offered 90 reels to rental houses, but has not set a date for their release.
Renee Donnelly, a senior official at the State Screen Fund, said the agency had not understood that the contract gave Marshline sole control over the reserve. The fund will review the grant’s supply terms next week, she said, and has asked the producer to provide a full stock count. “Public money was meant to help a film get made, not leave six other sets waiting,” Donnelly said.
Ukraine’s film crews mostly shoot digitally, but directors sometimes choose 16mm for its grain and softer detail. Siim Pärn, a cinematographer whose next project is among those delayed, said switching formats would mean rebuilding lighting plans and rescanning tests. “You cannot replace the look with a quick purchase of another camera,” he said.
Marshline says Red Approach will finish filming this month, but its planned 18 December premiere has been pushed to 29 January. The company says it expects to return any unused stock after filming. The fund’s review will determine whether the reserve must be opened sooner—and whether future grants can be tied to supplies that other Ukrainian productions are counting on.
