The Arts Council announces deadline for Reel Art 2015

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 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 2017. The deadline for receipt of applications is Friday 16 October 2015 at 17:00.

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.

Film artists interested in applying for Reel Art are invited to attend an information session on the scheme on Tuesday 22 September at 3pm in Filmbase, Curved Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2. The session will outline the purpose and priorities of the award and will answer any questions on the scheme. Anyone interested in attending is required to register their interest by sending an email to reelart@filmbase.ie.  

Updated guidelines for Reel Art 2015, together with application forms for the scheme are available for download from the website www.filmbase.ie/reelart are details of previous Reel Art projects.

Projects selected in the 2014 Reel Art scheme are Meet Miss Moriarty, from director Claire Dix and Chile: The Art of Making Do from the Desperate Optimists.

Meet Miss Moriarty is a film about the remarkable and ground-breaking first lady of Irish ballet, and a bold exploration of the filmmaking process itself. Joan Denise Moriarty was an inspirational artist who overcame enormous odds in her day and someone who, after her death, is still causing controversy.

Chile: The Art of Making Do is a poetic journey into the idea of the cinematic location through a compelling character in Irish social and political history, Ambrose O’Higgins. The compelling narrative of Ambrose O’Higgins underpins the documentary but is explored through the artistic filter of location and the creative processes entailed.

For more information, please contact:

Alan Fitzpatrick,

Filmbase,

Curved Street,

Temple Bar,

Dublin 2.

Tel: 01 6796716

Email: reelart@filmbase.ie