Media Plus means cash for Polish filmmakers

Poland's financially strapped film industry will soon be able to apply for funding from the European Union's Media Plus program. The scheme's Warsaw office, which opens later this month in conjunction with the National Radio and Television Council (KRRiTV), will be headed by Agata Pietkiewicz, who will coordinate the application process. "But it will ultimately be up to the (European Commission, the EU's executive body) to decide who will get the funds," said Joanna Stempień, the spokeswoman for Juliusz Braun, the KRRiTV's chairman. Braun signed a memorandum of understanding with the EC in June for Poland's participation in Media Plus. "We plan to hold a special press conference on Media Plus in October, during the Warsaw Film Festival," Stempień said. "But the office itself will open in September."

The Media Plus program was launched in 2001 and is scheduled to run until 2005. It has a budget of €400 million, which due to EU enlargement plans, will be extended to candidate countries. The funds support projects thematically linked with the EU or its member states, such as film production, film festivals, promotion and TV production. A quarter of Media Plus's budget goes to media training projects. To participate in Media Plus, Poland is required to contribute €1.55 million annually starting this year. The bill will be split between the state budget and the EU's PHARE program, which provides pre-accession funds to EU candidates. As one of eight EU candidate countries of the total 23 countries participating in Media Plus, recipients can expect about €4 million per year. By comparison, Telewizja Polska (TVP) the national broadcaster alone had zł. 25 million ($6.25 million) to spend on feature film production last year. While the funds available from Media Plus may be just a drop in the bucket compared to the needs of Poland's film production market, insiders said they would be much welcomed. "This is the kind of money worth fighting for because it might allow us to finance at least the preliminary phase of a specific project," said a film industry professional who asked not to be named.