The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland has announced details of the latest funding awards under the Sound & Vision 4 Broadcasting Funding Scheme.
Following a comprehensive assessment process, funding of €5.9m has been allocated to 40 radio and 26 TV projects in Round 40.
Overall, this funding round attracted 118 applications, seeking approximately €12.87m in funding. The proposed package of recommendations will facilitate the production of 66 projects based on Irish culture, heritage and experience, global affairs that affect the Irish State, media literacy and adult literacy. In total, projects will be broadcast across 26 services, including community, commercial and public service broadcasters.
Documentary (44%) was the most popular format recommended for funding, followed by drama (27%) and entertainment (22%). Contemporary society (47%) was the most popular genre. Overall, the funding amount proposed for Irish language/bilingual programming represents 31% of the total proposed package of recommendations.
Some notable projects supported in this round include:
Hell for Leather: The story of Gaelic Football. This documentary series will be produced by Crossing the Line Productions Limited and is scheduled to be broadcast by RTÉ 1. It will chronicle Gaelic football’s story through more than 350 years of rivalries, dominance, triumphs, upsets, and comebacks.
Sisterhood and Sanctuary: Produced by Diarmuid McIntyre for Cork Community Television, the documentary tells the story of the women from the ‘Saoirse-Ethnic Hands On Deck’ co-operative. The women will talk about their personal experiences of moving to Cork as migrants and reflect on their lived experience as migrants in Ireland and building ‘Saoirse’.
The Clinic for Well People: A Vision Independent Production for Virgin Media One, this documentary series looks at the health of the Irish nation.
Saol Ella: Produced by Danú Media for TG4, Saol Ella is a young people’s Irish language drama series following the life of Ella, a teenager living in the Gaeltacht whose life is turned upside down when her father decides to host Irish language students in their home.
RnaG50: Produced by Aniar for RTÉ One, this show marks the 50th anniversary of Raidió na Gaeltachta.
The Science of Sense: This series will be produced by Curious Broadcast Limited for RTÉ Junior / Chill. Science explorer extraordinaire Professor Theodore Bumbledumm, along with his trusty sidekick, The Science of Sense Jnr Professor, takes young listeners on a whirlwind tour through the wonderful world of our senses, unfolding their mysteries and discovering how they help us interact with the world around us.
“The BAI is committed to fostering diverse and culturally relevant content for Irish audiences and also to helping support a sustainable broadcasting industry,” said Deputy Chief Executive of the BAI, Celene Craig. “The Sound & Vision scheme is one important aspect of our work that helps us to achieve this objective.”
“Under Round 40, we once again received a strong mix of applications, with the funding sought exceeding that available,” continued Craig. “With this year being another difficult one for the sector, the Sound & Vision Scheme continues to provide crucial support for the industry, making available funding for quality projects, that might not otherwise be made.”
A full list of the projects being offered funding under the Sound & Vision Broadcasting Funding Scheme Round 40 is available to download here.
Up to €4.5m in funding is now available under Round 42 of the Scheme for independent producers and broadcasters to support new programme productions.
The closing date for applications is noon on Thursday, 16th December 2021.
Click here for guidelines and the application form for Round 42.
