Press Release - BRITDOCART - Significant Funding Scheme Launched For UK Artists

The Channel 4 British Documentary Film Foundation (www.britdoc.org), in conjunction with the Arts Council England and with the support of the Institute of Contemporary Arts are pleased to announce the launch of BRITDOCART. This is a unique and exciting first-rate funding scheme, which in 2006 will award four UK or UK based artists up to £30,000 each, allowing them the opportunity to make a documentary film.

This is the first time Arts Council England has invested directly in the documentary film format in what is also an inaugural deal with the Channel 4 British Documentary Film Foundation. The four finished films, which will be between 3 and 30 minutes long, will premiere at the ICA and tour leading regional galleries and sites. As interaction between different artistic disciplines becomes deeper, BRITDOCART will build significantly upon this movement, allowing artists, already established in their own particular field access to considerable funds to explore a medium they may not yet have considered. The outcome will be a body of work, which will enrich both the artist's portfolio and the genre as a whole.

BRITDOCART is open to artists from any field, be it visual, video, performance, or installation art - and the selection panel - including the ICA's Artistic Director Ekow Eshun - will look at ideas in documentary form, shot on any format. Be it an observational film, or a personal polemic, BRITDOCART aims to encourage the artist to experiment and engage with documentary film and the documentary form, bringing their unique approach to the genre. BRITDOCART aims to facilitate a collection of films, which inspire and invite audiences to question the role of documentary as art.

Katie Purnell, Editorial Director, BRITDOCART said of the scheme: One of our core messages at the Channel 4 British Documentary Film Foundation is that documentary can be art as well as reality and we believe that this fund will enrich both the work of the artists involved and the public's appreciation of documentary film in its fullest expression.

Ekow Eshun, Artistic Director, ICA said: At a time when the public appetite and need for documentaries is so great and simultaneously the profile of British artists has never been higher, it makes perfect sense to marry the two and create films that ask bold, imaginative questions about the way we live today. That's why the ICA is excited to support BRITDOCART. Julie Lomax, Senior Visual Arts Officer, Arts Council England said: BRITDOCART is an exciting partnership with Arts Council England that will directly invest in artists, increasing visibility for their work and distributing it to new audiences. Arts Council England is committed to the principle that the arts are for everyone and we look forward to seeing the impact of this truly innovative collaboration.

For press enquiries and further information, please call Rachael Booth 0207739 7632/ 07808 182796 or email: rachaeldbooth@yahoo.co.uk.

Full details for BRITDOCART, including conditions of funding, are available at www.britdoc.org For other information see www.artscouncil.org.uk and www.ica.org.uk. This information was provided courtesy of Ad-Venture Creative Industries Network.

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