Open Call: Film Project Award (Ireland)

Objectives and Priorities 

• There are two strands to this award and each has a specific purpose.
  • Strand 1: Research and Development 
    • The purpose of this strand is to offer applicants an opportunity to research and develop ideas that could be developed into proposals for Strand 2 Production projects (i.e. they should be ideas for creatively ambitious and artistically authored film work of an experimental nature for exhibition in cinema, in the first instance) or for Reel Art or Authored Works. Ideas for projects developed under Strand 1 are eligible to apply for Strand 2 or other Arts Council film funding as appropriate (e.g. Reel Art or Authored Works) in a subsequent year.
  • Strand 2: Production 
    • The purpose of this strand is to support the making of creatively ambitious and artistically authored film work of an experimental nature that would be unlikely to receive support from other funding sources. The work should be filmic and be made with a view to engaging and challenging audiences. It should be made for public exhibition in cinema settings in the first instance, though secondary exhibition in other contexts and on digital platforms may follow. This award specifically excludes conventional/mainstream film-making or film made for gallery contexts, in the first instance.
    • Potential proposals could be those that:
      • Are experimental in form or content
      • Are non-narrative in structure
      • Involve the creative use of new technologies.

Award Information

• Strand 1: Research and Development Up to €7,000
• Strand 2: Production Up to €80,000
• The amount denotes the maximum you can request under each strand – there is no minimum.
• You may apply for only one strand of the award. If you apply for Strand 1, you may apply for Strand 2 in the future for the production of the project.
• Exhibition support: Recipients of a Strand 2 Production award will be eligible to apply for exhibition support following completion and delivery of the film and the submission of a fully costed exhibition strategy. Do not include costs for exhibition support in this application.

Who can apply? 

• The award is open to professional artists1 and organisations working in film. To be eligible to apply, applicants must:
  • Be resident in the Republic of Ireland. There are certain exceptions where the Arts Council may deem eligible applications made by those based outside the Republic of Ireland. However, before admitting as eligible any such application, the applicant would need to explicitly outline within the application how the outcomes of any such proposal would benefit the arts in the Republic of Ireland, and the Arts Council must be satisfied with same.

Who cannot apply? 

• Applicants who cannot apply include the following:
  • Organisations currently in receipt of funding under the following Arts Council programmes: Strategic Funding, Arts Centre Funding, Partnership Funding – though the involvement of such organisations as partners is welcome.
  • Organisations or individuals in receipt of 2024 Arts Grant Funding.
  • Individuals who work on an ongoing basis with organisations funded through any of the above programmes.
  • National Cultural Institutions (or their Council members) directly funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
  • Individuals or organisations who do not have a demonstrable track record as professional artists or organisations.
  • Individuals currently in undergraduate education (including those undertaking foundation courses) or who will be during the period for which this award is offered.
  • Individuals seeking support towards fees for postgraduate (including unaccredited)/higher education or study.
  • Note: you cannot apply for the award both as an individual and as part of an organisation – e.g. you cannot apply as artistic director of a company and also apply separately under your own name.

For more information, visit The Arts Council.