What should the Arts Council's role be in film? in April of 1998, the council published a report by Scottish consultant Erika King on "Film in Ireland: The role of the Arts Council". King's report addressed many of the difficult questions which had been raised by the council's approach to what the French call "The Seventh Art". Primary among these was the thorny (and possibly self-defeating) notion of "film as art" versus "film as industry", and how the council could apply its remit to the former.
The issue was further clouded by the involvement of another State agency in the field, in the form of the Irish Film Board, which claims a cultural as well as a commercial remit, and by the ad hoc way in which a range of client organisations, from festivals to resource centres, had sprung up around the country over the previous decade, all of which relied to a greater or lesser extent on grant aid from the council.
Two years on, the Arts Council continues to support a range of organisations, from the Dublin Film Festival to the Cork Film Centre, as well as providing Film and Video Awards for production to practitioners in the field. But there are signs that the council's relationship with these clients is starting to change, and the first fruits of this can be seen in the resource centres.
With technology and artistic practice changing fast, it is these centres - Film Base in Dublin, the Galway Film Centre and the Cork Film Centre - which are to the forefront in developing new approaches. Digital technology has revolutionised ideas about "access" to equipment, while the increasing amount of audio-visual work appearing in art galleries is blurring the old distinctions between "visual art" and "art film".
A "mapping report", produced by arts consultant Annette Clancy last year for the council on the role of resource centres, identifies and clarifies some of these issues, attempting to define those areas of activity which the council should be supporting. According to the council's film officer, Mary Hyland, it is Galway which "provides the model". As the youngest of the three film resource organisations in the country, the Cork Film Centre, according to its chairwoman, Helen Guerin, has been fortunate. "We've learned from the experiences of others - and we're now developing into more fields, like experimental work, digital and animation."
"The report turned out very well for us," says Guerin. "But that hasn't been reflected in the funding." The CFC received an increase in grant aid from £20,000 to £36,500 this year, along with a one-off capital grant of £50,000 to invest in new digital equipment. But, as Guerin points out, the annual grant is not adequate to support a full-time professional staff. "The biggest issue is that you're expected to fulfil a lot with very little funding, which means you're dependent on voluntary work and goodwill. If you want continuity in organisations, you have to have people being paid properly."
As the longest-established resource centre, and with its location in the capital (next door to the Irish Film Centre), Film Base would seem to be best positioned to take advantage of new developments. But the organisation was criticised in the mapping report for not having "a policy on the development of the art form" and of "seriously flawed thinking". Film Base's grant has remained at the same level of £75,000 per annum for some years now. "Our funding has been stagnant - which effectively means we've been moving backwards," admits Film Base manager, Seamus Duggan, who believes that the organisation is now beginning to turn around. He welcomes the more project-based approach of the council. "It encourages you to think more deeply about what you want this money for, and what you're going to do with it. We're beginning to turn it around - it's now crucial for us to put together our own three-year plan." Hyland agrees that Film Base is beginning to turn the corner. But, beyond any organisational difficulties, there remains a suspicion within Film Base about some of the definitions of "film as art". "As far as I'm concerned, a zombie film can be a work of art," says Film Base chairman Stephen Kane. "A George Romero movie is more of a work of art than a Peter Greenaway film, in my opinion."
This is the sort of debate which one would expect to see in the country's two specialist film magazines, the bi-monthly Film Ireland and the quarterly Film West, published, respectively, by Film Base and the GFC. There was a minor kerfuffle last year when the notion was floated that the council should only fund one film magazine. That prospect has now receded, but Film Ireland editor Ted Sheehy believes that the fact it ever arose reflects an ambiguity in the council's approach to film.
Liz Meaney, manager of the GFC, concurs. "Initially, the issue seemed to be around whether it should be Film Ireland or Film West. But when we were invited into the pilot scheme, that all changed. There was a discussion about why Film West was funded through the GFC, but we explained how overheads would triple if it was hived off."
Each magazine has its own perspective: Meaney sees Film West as targeting the critical/academic market, while Sheehy wants to reposition Film Ireland more towards the mainstream, while retaining its core values.
Meaney admits to being "dead chuffed" by the increase in grant aid to the Galway Film Centre and Film West this year. GFC is one of the organisations chosen across all the artistic disciplines to participate in a pilot project for the council's new, three-year funding strategy. This three-year commitment allows all arts organisations to address the short-termism and uncertainty which previously applied on an annual basis. But, in addition, the GFC has received a substantial increase in its grant, from £64,000 per year to £344,000 over the next three-year period. The increase is specifically tied to new GFC initiatives such as ID Films, a series of documentaries on the theme of identity, to be undertaken in conjunction with community groups. Masterclasses and seminars are also planned. In addition, Galway has received £40,000 to purchase equipment. "We can now offer training in certain camera packages," says Meaney. "With digital, people can then go out and buy one of those packages for themselves. But very few filmmakers can afford to buy an online suite or a 16mm camera."
As for the three-year Arts Council funding process, she says. "It's now a more contractual relationship. It makes everything so much easier. There is an agreed set of criteria that we all know we're working towards."
"There still needs to be greater clarity about the way the Arts Council views film and television," Meaney believes. "The attitude is becoming clearer in terms of the commitment to film as art, through the sort of projects I've outlined that we're doing." Guerin argues that there is still a lack of transparency and clarity in the Film and Video Awards. "There's a lack of support for the development of the culture of the moving image nationally. There doesn't appear to be anyone on the council fighting for film, but there are people clearly lobbying for things like drama and dance."
Hyland accepts that there is a lack of clarity in Film and Video Awards, "which doesn't help anyone". "The awards will be redefined soon. It should have happened sooner, but we're looking at awards schemes in their totality across all disciplines."
It seems strange that, at a time when the council is demanding increased professionalism in the staffing of its client organisations, it has failed to implement the recommendation in its own report that it should have a full-time film officer. Part-time film officer Mary Hyland accepts that there's a problem, pointing out that it doesn't just apply to film. "We're hamstrung by the fact that the Department of Finance dictates the number of officers we can have,` she says. "The council is continuing to put pressure on the department on this issue." She points out, though, that the relatively small number of film organisations means that they still get more access than, say, drama groups.
Resource centres are not the only clients of the council in the film sector - film festivals and the Film Institute of Ireland are also important beneficiaries. Non-commercial film exhibition is a huge area in itself (a long-awaited report on that issue is due be delivered in draft form in the next few days). But the centres, with their range of activities, from production to training to critical debate, encapsulate the challenges facing the council as it modernises its film policy. "I don't think you can draw an absolutely clear line about what exactly the council should or shouldn't be doing," says Hyland. "But it's about identifying the areas of activity for which we should be responsible, and maximising public resources in those areas."
