In Ukraine, amateur cinema saw rapid development in the 1960s, as filmmaking (i.e. equipment, film, film processing) became a bit more affordable. A network of amateur film clubs appeared in Kyiv, Odesa, Lutsk, and then all over the country. Despite the smothering censure of the Soviet totalitarian regime, the underground Ukrainian movement organized local festivals and awards, celebrating people for whom cinema has become a powerful hobby, or rather a creative malady.
Source: Ukrainian Cinema: The Black Cossack, Amateur Films, and the State of the Industry