We’ve officially raised 20,000€ for Ukraine through our sales of Santa film! All of that has already been sent to charities.
How Did We Get Here?
Our in-house film brand, Santa, has been made in Russia for the past few years. Over 10,000 rolls have been sold between two film stocks in both 35mm and 120. It was a point of pride for us to be the primary distributors of this film stock that wasn’t available anywhere else.
With the situation in Ukraine, though, our priorities shifted. Santa film, you see, was originally produced as Russian air surveillance film. We could no longer produce it knowing our money was going to the Russian government.
So we decided to cease production of the film and donate all costs & profits to humanitarian aid in Ukraine. Click here to read a bit more about Santa film's origins and our decision to donate.
The Community
Of course, this donation wouldn’t be possible without you all. In the first week, we sold 820 packs of film to over 20 countries. We’ve sent film to every continent on Earth.
It’s incredible what the film community can do when we all come together. The Ukrainian people need help, and the analog community showed up to help big time.
Plus, many of you got to try a new film stock! We've seen print sales, photo walks, and documentation of peace on Santa film, with many people donating their time, money, and art to the cause. It's been nothing short of inspiring.
Donation Distribution
As I mentioned above, we raised over 20,000€ in the first week, and all of that has already been distributed to charities. Let’s talk about where we sent the money!
- 10,000€ went to Fida International’s immediate help fund. This money paid for food, medicine, shelter, and hygiene kits that were distributed along the Hungarian/Ukrainian border. This aid went specifically to those escaping Ukraine without the means to manage themselves financially.
- 3,000€ went to the Red Cross, UNICEF, and Médecins Sans Frontières. Each charity received 1,000€ as general help without a specific use case.
- 2,000€ went to Mission Possible to provide twenty Ukrainian families with shelter, accommodation, food, and travel expenses (if needed). This money went to help families at the Moldovan/Ukraininan border.
- 5000€ went towards a group of volunteers from Konkreettista apua Ukrainaan (Concrete Help for Ukraine), who organized a bus to travel from Finland to Ukraine. Supplies will be brought to Ukraine, and 43 Ukrainians will be collected there and brought back to Finland.
We still have 10,000€ of film left to sell. Click here to view Santa film. If you have suggestions on efficient uses for the rest of our donation, let us know by emailing Juho@Kameratori.fi. There are thousands of high-impact, grassroots movements that are overshadowed by huge organizations that we’d love to support.
Thanks again to everyone who has supported us so far. We appreciate you and are proud to have you in our community. Please keep buying Santa film so we can continue to support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine!
With love,
The Santa Team at Kamerastore.com
