The Film Fund started its work in 1996 when it obtained the vault and premises of the former Kyiv film printing factory, which was the biggest in Eastern Europe.
As of January 1, 2020, the Film Fund of Dovzhenko Centre stores 9,114 units – 56,043 film products – feature films, animated films, documentaries and popular science films mostly produced in Ukraine.
Most of them are presented on original materials – negatives and internegatives, while others are also presented on interpositives and digital media.
Dovzhenko Centre stores original materials of all Ukrainian films produced after 1992.
Soviet films are mostly presented on internegatives or interpositives.
The oldest film in the vault is a nitrate film dating back to 1909.
The oldest Soviet Ukrainian feature film dates back to 1922.
All films are stored in separate vaults based on their nature, namely, in the storage of original materials (negative image, sound negative, internegative and master print), storage of interpositives (release prints), storage of magnetic tape recordings, storage of films cleaned after fungus/mould infection, as well as the digital storage.
To preserve films, the storages have controlled temperature and humidity. Besides, they are equipped with germicidal lamps for inactivating bacteria, fungi, viruses, etc.
To monitor the film condition, the centre staff re-inspect each film every 3 to 5 years.
