Creative Europe Irish Success Results for 2021
We are delighted to announce the most recent successful results for Creative Europe funding awards in Ireland! Over €4.6 million has been awarded to Irish MEDIA and Culture projects that applied for Creative Europe funding in 2021. Creative Europe funding has boosted the Irish creative and cultural sector and this success is indicative of the breadth and quality of Irish audiovisual and cultural projects that applied for support last year.
‘We are thrilled to announce the first Irish results of the MEDIA calls in the new Creative Europe Programme. €2.3 million has been awarded to Irish companies under the MEDIA strand in the first year of the programme which is a fantastic kickstart to what we expect to be a very successful programme for Irish companies.’ said Orla Clancy of CEDI MEDIA Office Dublin.
Taking into account both MEDIA and Cross Sectoral funding strands almost €3 million has been awarded to Irish companies working across film, TV, animation, film festivals and digital innovation. (See list below for more details).
Cork International Film Festival was delighted to see its MEDIA support continued.
‘We are very grateful for the Creative Europe Media's Support to European Festivals 2021-2022 grant, which is enabling Cork International Film Festival to expand and develop, creating greater opportunities for European filmmakers and Irish audiences to connect and engage. Creative Europe Media recognises and supports our mission of presenting Ireland’s most exciting, diverse, and ambitious annual film festival, connecting and stimulating audiences and artists, developing the audiences and artists of the future, and encouraging the public to 'discover film and reimagine the world,' said Fiona Clark, CIFF Festival Director.
Four Irish production companies received Slate development funding to develop their projects which is a great success for the Irish industry as European competition is fierce for this funding strand! Slate funding gives Irish companies the capacity to develop stronger projects and support emerging talent.
Samson Films have received Slate funding on many previous occasions. Consistent MEDIA support has proved integral to the continued growth and success of their company. David Collins, MD of Samson Films, said:
‘We're delighted to be receiving this year's award for our current slate of Film and TV projects in development which represents an ambitious step forward for us while building on the strengths of what we have already achieved. Samson Films is determined to keep encouraging emerging talent and bringing original, authentic Irish stories to the screens of transnational audiences. Our slate of projects which includes Nick Kelly's new film BEDSITTERLAND and Jeda de Brí's debut feature TREE TOPS will help us to remain creatively relevant as our country changes.’
Deadpan Pictures see their second Slate award success as a seal of approval for their company.
‘The Creative Europe MEDIA Slate support is a real endorsement of our company plan and slate of projects. We’re looking forward to expanding our team in the coming months and delivering quality comedy drama content for international audiences,’ commented Ailish McElmeel, producer & co-founder, Deadpan Pictures.
Keep an eye out for their upcoming fiction TV series, NORTHERN LIGHTS which is currently in development as part of their MEDIA slate of projects.
Building on their previously successful Single Project applications, Tailored Films have been validated by their recent Slate Funding award which they see as a gamechanger for their European and international profile.
‘Team Tailored are absolutely delighted and truly honoured to have been selected for this year's Creative Europe Slate Funding Award. This highly respected and prestigious initiative will be a gamechanger for our company in terms of giving us the latitude to develop our slate of film and TV projects and forge new European connections. We are unbelievably excited to embark on this new development journey and can't wait to get started.’
Congratulations to Venom Films whose received Slate Funding, their first ever MEDIA success while MEDIA funding veterans (THE FARTHEST; WILD IRELAND & many more) Crossing the Line were awarded TV & Online Content funding for their project Green Island, White Desert which is a spectacular new creative documentary showcasing the raw beauty, wild creatures and fascinating contradictions of one of Ireland’s most striking wild wonderlands – the limestone desert on Ireland’s west coast called the Burren.
Irish tech companies Usheru and Video Elephant proved successful in their Innovative Tools & Business Models applications. This is Usheru’s third time being funded for their Eurofilm 3 project which makes European film & TV content more accessible to audiences around the world. Eurofilm has enabled over 30 partners to benefit including national film bodies, distributors and producers.
FAST FOR EU features Irish partner Video Elephant (content curation) in an all-in-one AI based service to empower European editorial, cultural, technological and business activities. Four European partners unite in a consortium to bring all the complementary expertise necessary for the success of FAST4EU: M.E.I.G (video distribution and AI technology), SECOM (Digital channels editor), Video Elephant (Content curation), Kinostar (Indie production and SVOD editor).
The Huston School of Film & Digital Media, NUI Galway was delighted to receive a Film Education award.
‘We were delighted to be awarded a Creative Europe Audience Development and Film Education Award as part of the “The Film Corner for all: Digital innovative environments for film and media literacy” consortium led by Fondazione Cineteca Italiana. Our consortium includes seven partners from six countries across Europe working towards the design, development and testing of an innovative set of interactive resources as part of an online interactive user-centred platform for film education and audience engagement. This will be an important aspect of developing film education resources within the Huston School of Film & Digital Media, NUI Galway for the benefit of current and future students, as well as providing a potential resource for students at second level in Ireland.’ Dr Seán Crosson, Associate Professor, Huston School of Film & Digital Media NUIG.
There was also success for an Irish partner and projects in the latest Cross Sector results. Musika Peripherika project which has an Irish partner Heaven Eleven will develop a new open European framework for musical and audiovisual rights.
Creative Europe Culture awards brought in almost €4 million into the Irish creative and cultural sector in 2021 for a wide variety of projects across the country. Ten Irish partners feature in the Cooperation projects awards. For the first time, Ireland has a lead partner in a European Platforms project called Aerowaves, a cross-border dance platform offering opportunities to emerging choreographers. Another first for Ireland is a new Network based here. Crafting the Future (World Craft Network) led by Design & Crafts Council Ireland based in Kilkenny. This network will promote design-led crafts and applied Arts in Europe.
IRISH MEDIA FUNDING AWARDS 2021
- Deadpan Picture, Slate
- Samson Films, Slate
- Tailored Films, Slate
- Venom Films, Slate
- Crossing the Line, TV & Online Content
- Cork International Film Festival, Single Festival
- Usheru, Eurofilm 3.0, Innovative Tools & Business Models
- Video Elephant, FAST for EU, Innovative Tools & Business Models
- NUI Galway, The Film Corner for All, Film Education
IRISH CROSS SECTOR AWARDS 2021
- Heaven Eleven, Musika Peripherika: The New Crossroads of Music & Film in the 21st Century.
