These guidelines and an application form are available in PDF format. PDF files may be viewed and printed using adobe acrobat reader. Please ensure you have a reasonable quality print out if you will be applying using this application form.
Introduction
These guidelines are for applicants intending to apply to the Arts Council of Northern Ireland’s National Lottery Fund for funding for Film Development, Film Production and for Short Film Distribution and Promotion. The guidelines cover the following areas:
Aims;
Priorities and Definitions;
Eligibility;
Partnership Funding;
Criteria for Decision Making;
Film Development;
Film Production;
Short Film Distribution and Promotion;
Application Process;
Post-Decision and Monitoring Information;
Government Standard Conditions of Grant
Arts Council Standard Conditions
Applicants must complete the Arts Council of Northern Ireland’s Lottery Film Finance application form to which these guidelines refer.
Applications for film projects related to buildings, equipment, training, education or exhibition should be made on the appropriate form:
Capital: buildings/equipment;
Access to the Arts: training, education, exhibition.
These guidelines and application forms are also available on request on audio cassette, in large print, Cantonese, Irish and Ulster-Scots.
Aims
The Arts Council aims to enable the film industry in Northern Ireland to establish a broader basis for investment, ensuring that the quality, number and range of films developed, produced and distributed in Northern Ireland is enhanced, that new local talent is developed and that the future of the film industry is made more secure.
Lottery funding for film Development, Production and Short Film Distribution and Promotion is intended to:
• increase the overall level of film production in Northern Ireland;
• contribute to the growth of a regional film industry, reflecting Northern Ireland’s society and culture and contributing to the economy of Northern Ireland;
• encourage indigenous film-makers: to make a significant contribution to a vibrant and successful Northern Irish film industry; to the development of local talent; and to reaching the widest possible national and international audience;
• enhance public access to a wide range of films which reflect Northern Ireland’s diverse cultural heritage and promote a vivid and contemporary cultural identity.
Priorities and Definitions
‘Film’ includes all genres, formats and lengths of film, video and digital media production to be made primarily in Northern Ireland, with a particular emphasis on:
• the development and production of film intended to be primarily produced in Northern Ireland; ‘primarily produced’ is defined as shooting at least 50% of the principal photography of the film within Northern Ireland or, in the case of digital media production, made in a facility located in Northern Ireland;
• films which will spend in excess of 50% of their total budget in Northern Ireland; ‘spend’ is defined as direct expenditure on resident Northern Ireland labour and on Northern Ireland based services;
• the development and production of films by Northern Ireland resident producers, directors, writers and production companies; ‘resident’ is defined as living, working and/or based in Northern Ireland for tax purposes;
• support for low budget short films; ‘low budget’ is defined as £30,000 and under for a short film and £20,000 and under for a digital media production; a ‘short film’ is defined as having a running time of under 30 minutes.
• The distribution and promotion of short films originating in Northern Ireland to regional, national and international markets.
Eligibility
Who is eligible?
Lottery funding is available to formally constituted organisations as well as film production companies whose principals live, work and are resident in Northern Ireland for tax purposes. Companies from elsewhere intending to produce a film all or partly in Northern Ireland are not excluded.
Who is not eligible?
Students and individual film-makers;
Educational and Statutory bodies for services that are part of their statutory obligations;
Organisations which do not afford equality of opportunity;
Broadcasters (NB. Community service broadcasters are not excluded).
What is eligible?
All genres and subject matter are considered, including single feature films, drama series, short films, experimental films, documentaries and animation. Digital media productions will also be considered, where there is a high proportion of moving image content. Projects should normally be intended for distribution or broadcast in Northern Ireland, within the UK and, where appropriate, internationally.
What is not eligible?
Where the producer, director, writer or any direct beneficiary of the proposed project is also a director of the applicant organisation the Arts Council is unable to offer funding towards that element of the production. Any such fees and deferred costs should be clearly indicated in the budget.
The Council will not fund any project which has already started, eg. where contracts have already been entered into or where principal photography has commenced. It does recognise that some preliminary work may have taken place, e.g. preliminary discussions with key personnel, location recces. If you feel your project falls into the above categories, you should discuss this with an officer from the Lottery Department.
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