FILM FESTIVALS Film festivals play an important role in expanding audiences for European film. Each year MEDIA co-finances 80 festivals of international importance which exhibit a majority of European works and reach an audience of around 3.5 million people. Two UK film festivals are included in this total. They receive funding for placing strong emphasis on films from other European countries and delivering various outreach and audience development activities both during and outside of their festival dates. ORGANISATION
FESTIVAL
Encounters Festivals
25th & 26th Encounters Festival
Leeds City Council
34th Leeds International Film Festival
2019 GRANT AMOUNT €
2020 GRANT AMOUNT €
33,000
33,000
33,000
79,000
46,000
In 2020, a new form of support was introduced awarding grants to networks of cinemas. Four such networks were supported including 23 festivals and covering 17 countries, although the uncertainty around Brexit meant that no UK cinemas were included in the selected groupings. A similar model for support to festival networks rather than individual festivals is due to be adopted under the new Creative Europe programme.
Encounters is the UK’s leading short film, animation and virtual reality festival. The festival discovers, supports and develops new talent in filmmaking, providing a platform for emerging and established filmmakers from around the world, and continues to be a unique meeting place for the industry. At the heart of the festival lies the Encounters international competition - an official gateway to the world’s most prestigious awards; the Oscars®, BAFTAs and the European Film Awards.
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