KIEV,Jan 12

(Xinhua) -- The Ukrainian government said on Tuesday it will step up support for the culture sector in 2018, with a special focus on cinema development.  

 

     Next year, Ukraine will increase spending on culture by 52 percent year-on-year to 218 million U.S. dollars, said a statement on the government's website.  

 

     Out of the total sum, about 35.8 million dollars will go to the development of cinema industry, the statement said.  

 

     In October, the Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has pledged that in 2018 the government will either finance or co-finance the production of 80 Ukrainian films and other movie projects.  

 

     In September, Ukraine signed a framework agreement with China to push forward joint cooperation in film and media industries. The deal, among other things, lays the foundation for the joint production of movies and other media content between the two countries.