Accompanied by his family, Victor Yushchenko has visited a movie theatre in Kyiv to see a film by Gary Winick, Charlotte’s Web, in Ukrainian, according to the President`s press-office.
The President told reporters the Ukrainian language “is returning to cinemas” and that he welcomed a recently signed memorandum between the Culture Ministry and film distributors under which 100% of children’s movies and 50% of other foreign films will be dubbed for Ukrainian speaking audiences by the end of 2007.
“I like the first requirement very much. The second one is a bit mild but I think we will make it stricter during our discussions,” he said.
He also praised last year’s decision by the previous government to impose quotas to dub foreign films into Ukrainian, which was, however, later cancelled by the Kyiv Economic Court of Appeal.
“I am sure this ruling will be reconsidered because it contradicts national priorities and our goal to develop the film distribution business and cinematographic art,” he said, adding that he had recently appealed to the Prosecutor General “to protect national interests in this area.”
As for the development of the Ukrainian language, he added, more and more people come to understand that it can help us unite. Mr. Yushchenko said it was incumbent on him to make Ukrainians understand it is their obligation to know and learn their native language.
Charlotte`s Web is a live-action/computer-animated feature film, based on the popular children’s book of the same name by E.B. White. The book was first published in 1952 and tells the story of a barn spider named Charlotte and her friendship with a pig named Wilbur. It is one of the best-selling children`s books of all time
