MEDIA RELEASE:
FILM OXFORD to receive £60,000 from second round of the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund.
- FILM OXFORD is among more than 2,700 recipients to benefit from the latest round of awards from the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund
- This award will offer a funding boost to launch ‘Me, My City, My World’ a community creative media project.
- Develop a series of new online training courses
- Produce short films for social media to promote our community and educational activities.
FILM OXFORD in Catherine Street, Oxford has received a grant of £60,000 from the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to help the organisation recover and reopen.
More than £300 million has been awarded to thousands of cultural organisations across the country including FILM OXFORD in the latest round of support from the Culture Recovery Fund, the Culture Secretary announced today.
| As part of the Recovery grant FILM OXFORD will shortly be launching and recruiting for the “Me, My City, My World” – creative media project. A free, 8 day Creative Arts programme at Film Oxford in May and June 2021 for young people 16 – 25 years old. This project is all about young people – as we come out of the strangest of times – creating a snap shot of what is important about their lives, their city and their world. Expressed through video, graphics, drawing, animation, painting, sound, music and more we’ll build a unique exhibition of work to take around our communities and put up for all to see. Information and application form at iCreative Oxford: http://icreativeox.xyz . |
Over £800 million in grants and loans has already been awarded to support almost 3,800 cinemas, performance venues, museums, heritage sites and other cultural organisations dealing with the immediate challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.
The second round of awards made today will help organisations to look ahead to the spring and summer and plan for reopening and recovery. After months of closures and cancellations to contain the virus and save lives, this funding will be a much-needed helping hand for organisations transitioning back to normal in the months ahead.
Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden, said:
“Our record breaking Culture Recovery Fund has already helped thousands of culture and heritage organisations across the country survive the biggest crisis they’ve ever faced.
Now we’re staying by their side as they prepare to welcome the public back through their doors – helping our cultural gems plan for reopening and thrive in the better times ahead.”
Geron Swannat Film Oxford said:
This is a massive boost and kickstart to Film Oxford’s community arts programme – as we all emerge from the strangest of years. Thank you Arts Council England for your continuing support
Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair, Arts Council England, said:
“Investing in a thriving cultural sector at the heart of communities is a vital part of helping the whole country to recover from the pandemic. These grants will help to re-open theatres, concert halls, and museums and will give artists and companies the opportunity to begin making new work.
We are grateful to the Government for this support and for recognising the paramount importance of culture to our sense of belonging and identity as individuals and as a society.”
The funding awarded today is from a £400 million pot which was held back last year to ensure the Culture Recovery Fund could continue to help organisations in need as the public health picture changed. The funding has been awarded by Arts Council England, as well as Historic England and National Lottery Heritage Fund and the British Film Institute.
Notes to Editors
Arts Council Englandis the national development agency for creativity and culture. We have set out our strategic vision in Let’s Createthat by 2030 we want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given the chance to flourish and where everyone of us has access to a remarkable range of high quality cultural experiences. We invest public money from Government and The National Lottery to help support the sector and to deliver this vision. www.artscouncil.org.uk
Following the Covid-19 crisis, the Arts Council developed a £160 million Emergency Response Package, with nearly 90% coming from the National Lottery, for organisations and individuals needing support. We are also one of the bodies administering the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund. Find out more at www.artscouncil.org.uk/covid19.
At the Budget, the Chancellor announced the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund would be boosted with a further £300 million investment. Details of this third round of funding will be announced soon.
History of Film Oxford –https://www.filmoxford.org
In 1986 OFVM – Oxford Film and Video Makers (previously the Filmmakers Workshop) was set up as a publicly funded independent workshop to support film making in Oxford. In the early years funding came from the Arts Council and Oxfordshire County Council. In the 1980’s a government initiative, the Enterprise Allowance scheme enabled a group of enthusiastic filmmakers to develop time and energy to create new work in documentary, drama and experimental film and video. This was the bedrock of Oxford Film and Video Makers and allowed a core group to flourish and grow. Off the back of this grounding many filmmakers went onto broadcast work with several securing Channel 4 commissions around 80’s trade union, gender and environmental politics. In the mid 90’s the workshop became a registered charity and secured annual cultural funding from Oxford City Council for its programme of training and projects in the community. In 2000 (now Film Oxford) the charity moved from the Stables in Headington to the heart of East Oxford and took over the old public bath house on Catherine Street where it first started receiving support from the government Film Agency, Screen South. The next 10 years saw the development of innovative project work in schools, film festivals, mobile screenings and work with groups who rarely get opportunities to train in film or digital media – including young people, artists with disabilities, ethnic groups, women’s groups, the unemployed and older people.
Today Film Oxford enjoys regular funding from the BFI for its academies with young people looking to break into the industry as well as from the Arts Council for the ground breaking work with artists with disabilities (Shadowlights https://shadowlightartists.org.uk) and young people (iCreative http://icreativeox.xyz)
The centre also receives government support for our adult training programme and Lottery funding for screenings in our communities.
In thirty five years Film Oxford has trained over 10,000 local people through courses and project work and supported more than 1000 productions (drama, documentary, campaigning, dance, experimental and digital art) – and in doing so has built a community of passionate filmmakers and digital creators at its heart. Many have gone on to employment in the industry and work for established companies, others set up as freelancers or build their own businesses. Some use their skills in teaching whilst others continue to explore film and digital media as a creative, expressive or campaigning platform. Many stay around and commit hours and hours unpaid to the aims the organisation – helping build and sustain a space for local filmmakers and digital creators to meet, be inspired and develop new work together
Geron Swann
Film Oxford Development.
Tel: 07713419546
Email: geron@filmoxford.org
