NEW SHORT FILMS INITIATIVE ANNOUNCED

THE Film Council’s New Cinema Fund (NCF) sets out to encourage and support emerging innovative film talent by allocating £750,000 a year to support the production and distribution of short films throughout the UK.
The NCF will not directly administer the production of shorts, but will partner organisations with demonstrable experience of running short film initiatives.
The funding will be made available for organisations in each region and nation of the UK to produce a series of shorts using digital technology. Funding will also be disbursed to appropriate organisations demonstrating first class experience in digital production and script editorial for the schemes via a tendering process managed by the NCF.
As a guide, the NCF believes that the cost of a digitally-made short should not exceed £10,000. Since the successful partner organisations will, with the matched contribution, have a sum of £80,000 a year, the NCF will be looking for a minimum output of eight shorts per scheme each year.
The NCF aims to make available a further £250,000 on a matching funds basis with a commercial partner to create a second-tier of short films. The funding will be targeted to support projects that meet specific strategic objectives.
The fund will be available for a period of two years, in the first instance, with a review of activity after 12 months.
(CD)