Call for Proposals: CREA Networks of European Festivals

Objectives

• Creative Europe brings together actions supporting the European cultural and creative sectors. The general objectives of the Programme are:
  • to safeguard, develop and promote European cultural and linguistic diversity and heritage;
  • to increase the competitiveness and the economic potential of the cultural and creative sectors, in particular the audiovisual sector.
• These goals are pursued through the following specific objectives:
  • enhancing artistic and cultural cooperation at the European level, in order to support the creation of European works and strengthen the economic, social and external dimensions and innovation and mobility in Europe’s cultural and creative sectors (CULTURE strand);
  • promoting the competitiveness, scalability, cooperation, innovation, and sustainability, including through mobility in the European audiovisual sector (MEDIA strand);
  • promoting policy cooperation and innovative actions supporting all strands of the Programme, promoting a diverse, independent and pluralistic media environment, and media literacy, thereby fostering freedom of artistic expression, intercultural dialogue and social inclusion (CROSS SECTORAL strand).
• The general and specific objectives of the Programme take into account the dual nature of the cultural and creative sectors, recognising, on the one hand, the intrinsic and artistic value of culture and, on the other, the economic value of those sectors, including their broader contribution to growth and competitiveness, creativity and innovation.

Themes and Priorities

• The priorities of the MEDIA strand are:
  • to enhance the circulation, promotion, online and theatrical distribution of European audiovisual works, within the Union and internationally in the new digital environment; including through innovative business model;
  • to promote European audiovisual works, heritage works, and support audience the engagement and development of audiences of all ages, in particular young audiences, across Europe and beyond.
• The MEDIA strand shall provide support to:
  • European festivals and festivals’ networks screening a significant proportion of nonnational European works, while preserving their identity and unique profile.The Networks of European festivals shall provide support to coordinated/collaborative activities among European audiovisual festivals aiming at increasing audiences’ interest in non-national European audiovisual content and promoting its circulation and visibility.

Funding Information and Duration

• The estimated available call budget is EUR 5 500 000.
• Projects should not normally exceed 24 months.

Eligible Activities

• The eligible activities of the network are those in relation to:
  • Coordinated and collaborative activities aiming to expand audience development and interest for European films and audiovisual works.
  • Coordination of the network members and activities relating to its sustainable structured development (e.g. collaborative events; sharing of know-how and information; communication among members).
  • Coordinated and collaborative activities promoting sustainable and environmentally responsible practices.
  • Support to audiovisual festivals taking place in MEDIA participating countries (through support to third parties).

Expected Impact

• Reinforce cooperation among European audiovisual festivals members of a Network screening a significant proportion of non-national European films and audiovisual works through coordinated/collaborative activities targeted to expand and renew audiences.
• Increase the impact of European audiovisual festivals aiming to reinforce promotion, distribution and circulation of non-national European films and audiovisual works to growing audiences across Europe.
• Foster exchange of knowledge and best-practice models for cooperation among festivals through coordinated/collaborative activities targeted to expand and renew audiences.
• Harness the digital transformation, including developing and updating online tools and data applications.

Eligibility Criteria

• In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:
  • be legal entities (public or private bodies);
  • be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
    • Creative Europe Participating Countries:
      • EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs);
      • non-EU countries:
        • listed EEA countries and countries associated to the Creative Europe Programme or countries which are in ongoing negotiations for an association agreement and where the agreement enters into force before grant signature.
• Only applications from eligible entities organising audiovisual festivals in countries participating in the MEDIA strand will be accepted.
• Natural persons — Natural persons are not eligible with the exception of selfemployed persons, i.e. sole traders, where the company does not have legal personality separate from that of the natural person.
• International organisations — International organisations are eligible. The rules on eligible countries do not apply to them.

For more information, visit EC.