The First Lady of Ukraine, wife of current President of Ukraine - Kateryna Yuschenko - opened the reception of the Ukrainian Cinema Foundation at Adlon Kempinski Hotel Berlin on Tuesday night. According to the Ukrainian Film Foundation, about 300 industry production representatives and journalists visited the event which was organised with the help of Nemiroff Vodka Company. Kateryna Yushchenko mentioned the importance of film promotion for the development of a national film industry. Kateryna said that after a collapse in the post soviet years, we now witness the rebirth of Ukrainian Cinema. She remembered the cooperation that "the Ukraine 3000" Fund has started a few years ago with Kyiv International Film Festival Molodist.

Head of the Festival Andriy Khalpakhchi is the country's ambassador for cinema and the First Lady honored his constant activity for the evolvement of the national film industry.

Andriy Khalpakhchi wishes the new Foundation to absorb the experience of successful national cinema promotion agencies like Unifrance, German Films or the Polish Film Institute.

He noticed he was particularly happy that beside state institutions also private partners support the national film development - the presentation of Ukrainian Cinema Foundation is held in cooperation with Nemiroff Vodka Company. He also greeted the Berlin Film Festival for the opportunity to present the Foundation to a broader audience and promised to be back with more Ukrainian films next year.

The Ukrainian Cinema Foundation was opened in 2007 as a private enterprise with the purpose of acquainting film professionals and audiences with Ukrainian films. The UCF activities contain also restoration of film prints of classical Ukrainian movies and DVD collections of short and full-feature films.