Former vice premier initiates petition to protect Ukrainian language dubbing

Former vice premier initiates petition to protect Ukrainian language dubbing

The Constitutional Court may have the final say concerning the policy of dubbing films into Ukrainian language, if the man who introduced the measure has his way. Vyacheslav Kyrylenko introduced the policy when he was Vice-premier for Humanitarian affairs.

He served as vice premier in both the Tymoshenko and Yekhanurov governments. He is currently a member of parliament and collecting signatures for a petition to the Constitutional Court. Kyrylenko said that the court should rule on the meaning of the word "mandatory". The government resolution in questions specified mandatory dubbing or subtitling of foreign language films. The measure was challenged in the courts by a group of film distributors who claim that the cost of Ukrainian language dubbing is simply too high. Current Culture minister Yuri Bohutsky said that mandatory dubbing will result in higher ticket prices at the box office. Meanwhile Dmytro Tabachnuk - the man who has taken Kyrylenko’s place as Humanitarian vice premier has said the courts will have the final say in the matter. The Yanukovych government has suspended the measure introduced by Kyrylenko.