The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) and the Canada Media Fund (CMF) announced today a new funding incentive for the development of audio visual projects. A total of €150,000 is being made available to support Irish and Canadian producers to develop co-productions for broadcast on Irish and Canadian television services. Both organisations contributed an equal share in the total funding of the development fund.
Awards made under the Canada-Ireland co-development incentive for audio visual projects will be allocated through an open application process to projects that fulfil the relevant criteria. Guidelines, application documents and deadline for submissions will be announced mid-May. A selection committee of BAI and CMF representatives will assess and select the winning projects. The BAI contribution of €75,000 comprises funds recouped from successful Sound & Vision projects. Therefore, the establishment of the fund will not impact the indicative funding allocations already announced for rounds in 2016.
Announcing the launch of the development incentive at the Celtic Media Festival in Dungarvan Co. Waterford, BAI Chief Executive Michael O’Keeffe said: “In an increasingly competitive media environment, Irish producers must focus on the potential offered by international partnerships. Successful BAI-supported projects such as Song of the Sea and Brooklyn show what can be achieved when creative talent in Ireland and Canada work together. This BAI/CMF Development Incentive is being established to support producers to build on this success and the BAI is delighted to partner with the Canada Media Fund on this initiative.”
“Through the many successes of Canada-Ireland co-productions, whether it be feature film projects or very successful television productions such as The Tudors, The Borgias or Vikings, both countries have demonstrated their commitment to expanding our relationships while continuing to develop high-quality content. By pooling resources and talent within the context of a fast-evolving media landscape, Canada and Ireland further ensure the long-term viability of our respective content industries. This allows producers in both countries to develop compelling projects that appeal to not only Canadian and Irish audiences, but that also captivate viewers well beyond our borders,” added CMF President and CEO, Valerie Creighton.
Producers interested in finding an international partner as part of this development incentive are invited to post a profile of their company on the CMF’s website by clicking here. Profiles will be accessible to all, including potential partners from other countries.
ENDS
Notes:
- Sound & Vision Ancillary Measures, such as the fund outlined above, are provided for under Section 5.6 of the Broadcasting Funding Scheme. These measures are designed and implemented in order to support the achievement of the objectives of the Scheme. To date, the BAI has implemented a number of Ancillary Measures which have included:
- Collaboration on a conference in November 2015 entitled Radio and TV as Learning Resources. The conference brought together educationalists, teachers and programme-makers with a view to encouraging collaboration to produce relevant, innovative broadcast material over a wide range of subjects, to complement the formal educational curriculum.
- A research and marketing campaign for the Sound & Vision funded Irish language drama ‘Eipic’. This involved 4 screenings on college campuses prior to the initial broadcast and obtaining feedback and questionnaires from the students.
- Collaboration on an interactive exhibition on the Sound & Vision co-funded animation Song of the Sea, which took place in the Butler Gallery during the summer of 2015.
- The Canada Media Fund (CMF) fosters, develops, finances and promotes the production of Canadian content and applications for all audio visual media platforms. The CMF guides Canadian content towards a competitive global environment by fostering industry innovation, rewarding success, enabling a diversity of voice and promoting access to content through public and private sector partnerships. The CMF receives financial contributions from the Government of Canada and Canada’s cable, satellite and IPTV distributors. Please visit cmf-fmc.ca.
- The Celtic Media Festival is an annual three day event that promotes the languages and cultures of the Celtic Nations and Regions in media. It combines a major conference of seminars and master classes with presentation of coveted prizes in an international competition across all the main content genres in TV, radio, film and digital media. The festival is held in one of the Celtic nations and this year it is taking place in Dungarvan, Co. Waterford, Ireland. For further information please visit: http://www.celticmediafestival.co.uk/
Media Queries to:
BAI
Catherine Heaney/Tony Heffernan
DHR Communications
01 4200580/ 087 2309835/087 2399508
CMF
André Ferreira
Communications Manager
Canada Media Fund
aferreira@cmf-fmc.ca
001-416-554-2768