Film
Art in BiH, it is fair to say, has great potential. The Sarajevo Film Festival
has already become a regional brand regarding film art, and our actors increasingly
appear in Hollywood blockbusters.
Because
of all this film crews and all those who work in this industry are looking
forward to BiH’s entering into the EU program Media 2007, which is EU's
financial instrument for promoting development of the audiovisual industry among
members and member candidates to the EU. This is a program which has EUR 755
million at disposal for the period 2007 - 2013.
Although
BiH’s full membership in the program is conditioned by progress in the process
of European integration, yesterday a possibility was created for BiH applicants
from these areas to submit proposals to the already issued public calls. The
Media 2007 program expects full membership by year end.
What
it means, in practise, to get the opportunity to submit proposals, although we
are not a member state, we tried to find the answer at the Directorate for
European Integration (DEI).
Marina
Kavaz-Siručić, a spokeswoman for DEI, explains that in practice this means that
applicants from our country can apply to these calls, but the funds will be
available for use only when the Memorandum of Understanding between the EC and BiH
is signed and after the ‘entry ticket` is paid.
"In December
20122 the Ministry of Civil Affairs sent to the Directorate General for
Education and Culture (DG EAC) of the European Commission a letter of interest
to participate in this program. The next step is that the EC forwards a
Memorandum of Understanding, after signing it and paying for the ‘entry ticket’
BiH will formally be able to participate in this program," Kavaz-Siručić
reminds.
The
annual amount of the entry ticket for this program amounts to between EUR
35.000 and 40.000.
Apropos,
requirements for membership in the MEDIA 2007 are to harmonize national
legislation with the Directive on Audiovisual Media Services ( the Directive is
commonly known as "Television Without Borders ") as well as
ratification of the UNESCO Convention on protection and promotion of diversity
of cultural content. BiH has already fulfilled both of these prerequisites.
With
these funds the European Union wants to preserve and enhance European cultural
diversity and cinematographic and audiovisual heritage and guarantee its
accessibility to citizens. It also aims to increase the circulation of European
audiovisual work inside and outside the European Union and strengthen the
competitiveness of the sector.
A number of options
for financing
The
program is designed for legal entities and individuals, institutions,
associations, companies, production companies, distributors, sales agents,
directors, producers, screenwriters and others involved in audiovisual
activities. The program supports training and professional development of
professionals, development of production projects, distribution and promotion
of films and audiovisual programs inside and outside the EU, film festivals and
introduction and use of new technologies.
D.K.
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