Reel Art

#Industry: The Arts Council announces deadline for Reel Art 2017

The Arts Council has announced the deadline for the 2017 Reel Art scheme.  Launched in 2008, Reel Art is designed to provide film artists with a unique opportunity to make highly creative, imaginative and experimental documentaries on an artistic theme.  Operated in association with Filmbase and the Audi Dublin International Film Festival, Reel Art will wholly support two films with grants of €70-€80,000 per project.  Reel Art films will premiere at the Dublin International Film Festival in February 2019. The deadline for receipt of applications is Friday 13th October 2017 at 5pm.

The Arts Council’s purpose in offering the Reel Art scheme is to support film artists to make documentary art films that would not otherwise get made. A key aim of the scheme is to complement, rather than replicate, the documentary and other funding programmes offered by the Arts Council, broadcasters and funding agencies in Ireland.

Reel Art projects should be conceived for theatrical exhibition at film festivals and in arthouse cinema settings. Only proposals for original, imaginative and aesthetically-driven treatments of arts subjects will be considered. Proposals that offer visually engaging, creative and experimental approaches to their subject will be prioritised.

Reel Art

Projects successfully funded through the Reel Art initiative may be eligible for additional Exhibition Support Funding of up to €12,500 following completion and premiere at ADIFF 2019. This funding is offered by the Arts Council in order to assist film artists in maximising their audiences nationally while also supporting the film artists, who made the films, to work in an international context.

The Reel Art Awards are very important to the Arts Council. They demonstrate clearly the Arts Council’s passionate support for innovative and challenging work from film artists with distinctive creative visions. We hope that the addition of a dedicated exhibition support fund will significantly enhance opportunities for successful film artists to reach their audiences in the most appropriate ways possible for these unique films.
Fionnuala Sweeney, Head of Film for the Arts Council

Film artists interested in applying for Reel Art are invited to attend an information session on the scheme on Tuesday 5th September at 3pm in Filmbase, Curved Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2. This session will outline the purpose and priorities of the award and will answer questions on the scheme. Anyone interested in attending should register their interest by sending an email to reelart@filmbase.ie.

Guidelines for Reel Art 2017, together with application forms for the scheme are available for download from the website, as are details of previous Reel Art projects.