Cultural Cinema Consortium announces New Funding Decisions
Cultural Cinema Consortium announce that Solas (Galway) and Lighthouse@smithfield (Dublin) are recipients of capital funding of €750,000 each. This funding is designed to develop arthouse cinema.The Cultural Cinema Consortium - a joint initiative of the Arts Council and Bord Scannán na hÉireann/ the Irish Film Board - today announced that capital investment funding valued at €750,000 each has been offered for the further development of art house cinema exhibition to Solas in Galway and the new Lighthouse@smithfield development in Dublin.
The main objectives of the Cultural Cinema Consortium, established in 2001, are to enhance and expand the range of cinema in the Republic of Ireland; to ensure audiences have a quality cultural experience with regard to world cinema, indigenous film-making and classic films and to foster an attractive investment environment for art house film infrastructure.
This capital funding, which was made following a call for proposals in 2004, is designed to improve opportunities for cinema operators to develop multi-screen operations and to enhance and expand the range of cinema available in Ireland. The capital funding awarded will enable both Solas and Lighthouse@smithfield to achieve this.
The funding amounts offered today were made under Phase Two of the Consortium's capital investment scheme. In addition to the offers of €750,000 each to Solas and Lighthouse@smithfield, additional amounts were awarded to the following art house exhibitors for building refurbishment and specific technical equipment investment:
Caherdaniel Film Club, Kerry €9,862; Cavan County Council, €18,442; Dara Cinema, Kildare, €10,000; Droichead Arts Centre, Drogheda €17,545; Irish Film Institute, Dublin €120,000; Letterkenny Arts Centre, €150,000; Model Arts and Niland Gallery, Sligo €30,000; North Tipperary County Council, €70,000; Siamsa Tire, Tralee €40,000; and Town Hall Theatre, Galway €15,000.
Speaking about the offers of funding, Mary Cloake, Arts Council Director said: “Irish audiences are passionate about cinema; our film-makers need to reach them. The Cultural Cinema Consortium funding ensures that opportunities to see many more films from Ireland and abroad will be created around the country.”
“It is vital that Irish audiences all over this country can access the latest and greatest Irish cinema and that is why we are delighted to continue our partnership with the Arts Council on this important initiative”, said BSÉ/IFB CEO Mark Woods. "BSÉ/IFB hopes each of the successful applicants will be pivotal in delivering local content to local audiences in the years ahead."
In July 2003, under Phase One of the Consortium's capital investment scheme, it awarded capital investment funding valued at €750,000 each also to Kino in Cork and Belltable's Filmhouse in Limerick for development of art house cinema.