MEDIA programme announces Cinema Digitisation fund.

MEDIA has announced the new call for Cinema Digitisation, the deadline for which is July 31st 2012

This funding is to support the digitisation of European cinemas that show a significant percentage of non-national European films. The scheme funds the side costs linked to the purchase of digital projectors.

Available budget for 2012: €2 million. The Commission reserves the right not to allocate the entire budget.

Applicant can apply for the digitisation of one, two or three screens. The financial contribution from the MEDIA Programme takes the form of a lump sum, of maximum €20,000 per screen and €60,000 per applicant. The subsidy covers the side costs related to digital transition, excluding the cost of the digital projector and server.

The grant can only be allocated once for each screen. The award of a grant does not establish an entitlement for subsequent years.

To be considered as eligible, the applicant cinemas must have screened in 2011 a minimum of 50% European films of which at least 30% are European non-national. A film is considered as European if it complies with the MEDIA programme's definition of such films.

European independent cinema operators - companies, associations or organisations with a single or several screens - where the screening of films is the principal activity. The applicant organisation should be owned, whether directly or by majority participation, by nationals from countries participating in the MEDIA Programme and be registered in one  of these countries.

Applicant organisations must:

• Be 'first run' cinemas (programming European films in the first  run, within a maximum period of twelve months after the national release)
• Have been open to the public for a minimum of three years
• Possess a ticketing and entry declaration system
• Have at least one screen and 70 seats
• Have presented 520 screenings per year for permanent cinema  (i.e. cinemas in operation for a period of at least six months per  year), 300 screenings for single screen theatres (30 screenings per month) and at least 30 screenings per month for summer /open air  cinemas (cinemas in operation for less than 6 months per year)
• Have had at least 20,000 cinema admissions, in the previous year, where a normal ticket price was actually paid. 

Applicants who have or will receive a projector from a third party integrator as a result of signing a virtual print fee (VPF) deal will not be eligible for support.

For further information including Guidelines, and application form, please go to http://www.mediadeskireland.ie/fund_ex_di.php

If you would like to discuss this further with access>CINEMA please contact us directly or alternatively, Orla Clancy, MEDIA Desk Ireland, 6 Eustace Street, Dublin 2