The Odessa Film Studio has changed its director: Andrei Zverev, who has headed the company since 2012, is resigning, and Lutsk lawyer Andrei Osipov will temporarily perform his duties.
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In an interview with the local publication Vikna-Odessa, Zverev said that he was leaving of his own free will.
“While working at the studio, by the will of fate, I had to do something new for me - producing. I have come closer to understanding this profession, I really like it, and I plan to engage in film production in the future. The time has just come…” the publication quotes Zverev.
Zverev further stated that now another team will be involved in the development of the film studio.
“The team of the private shareholder of the enterprise, the general director of the 1+1 group of companies (controlled by Igor Kolomoisky - ed.) Alexander Tkachenko will visit the film studio,” Zverev said. — Six years ago, for him, as a shareholder, the film studio, apparently, was of no value. Today I can proudly say that the situation has changed: if the enterprise arouses interest among the shareholders themselves, it means that this value has reappeared.”
According to local media reports, the corporate structure of the Odessa Film Studio is extremely far from transparent.
“Half of its shares (50%+1) are owned by the state (represented by the State Property Fund), the rest are owned by New Film Studio LLC.” The latter, in turn, belongs to two other legal entities: the Ukrainian LLC “Fund for the Development of Cinematography” (77,5%) and the Cyprus “Tralion Commercial Limited” (22,5%). In turn, the founder of the Cinema Art Development Fund is another Cypriot company - Punta Crescent Limited. The owners of both Cypriot companies are citizens of the Republic of Cyprus, but this should not mislead anyone: such companies are usually created specifically to hide the names of the true owners, and the role of formal owners is played by front men. In fact, Punta Crescent Limited is believed to have been backed by the Donetsk oligarch Sergei Taruta, who was thus the main shareholder of the enterprise (not counting the state, which, of course, can be ignored). For example, the same Andrei Zverev in the above-mentioned interview directly calls himself a “paratrooper” from Taruta. By the method of exclusion, it can be assumed that the company Tralyon Commercial Limited is connected with Tkachenko, although, of course, there is no formal evidence of this. However, Tkachenko has long had a certain relationship with the film studio: in particular, he heads the supervisory board of the enterprise,” notes the informed publication Timer.
“If our assumptions are correct, then the Odessa Film Studio is actually changing ownership: if previously the enterprise was controlled by Taruta’s people, now control will pass to Kolomoisky’s people,” the publication says.