ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

To be eligible for a grant, you must be affiliated with an American college or university with non-profit status. Candidates must plan to show the films as part of a festival, consisting of a minimum of five films, and the screenings must take place within a one-month period. The films may be presented as part of a larger film festival. Candidates are eligible to receive The Tournées Festival grant for a maximum of five consecutive years, but they must reapply each year.

Schools that show films in 35mm will receive a grant of $2,300, and schools that show films on video (DVD, Beta SP, or Digibeta) will receive a grant of $1,800. Schools that show a combination of 35mm and video will receive a grant corresponding to each film's format ($460 per film shown in 35mm and $360 per film shown on video). Please note that the grant is paid retroactively, upon receipt by FACE of all necessary post-screening documents and materials.

GENERAL ADVICE FOR YOUR APPLICATION

The application is the primary tool used by the Selection Committee to choose the grant recipients. Therefore it's extremely important that you're as thorough and detailed in your answers as possible in order to adequately convey the concept for your festival, and your enthusiasm for the project.

Even if your institution has participated in the program in the past, you still need to submit a new application. Please do not assume that we're familiar with your school and festival. And please be aware that we closely review the Post Screening Forms when considering applications from past grant recipients.

We strongly encourage collaboration with other departments and professors as we've seen that this generally results in far more successful festivals. The more people involved, and the greater the financial commitment, the better the promotional and organizational outcome. One possibility is to establish a committee to select the films and organize the festival. You should also plan to have someone introduce the screenings and facilitate post-screening discussions. This usually results in a larger audience.

We also recommend including the screenings as part of a curriculum or as an extra credit option. We have learned from past participants that students who are required to attend form a core audience at the festivals. And Professors who assign the screenings as part of a course are usually more apt to get involved with the promotion and organization of the festival. You should also encourage student involvement in the organization of the festival via internships or work study programs. There are many students who are genuinely interested in this kind of work and it can be a good way to increase interest and attendance at the festival.

Choose your opening night film wisely. Selecting a more accessible first film is a good way to draw a wider audience at the outset and ideally create interest in the films to follow. If the first film is too challenging, this can negatively impact audience turnout for the duration of the festival.

If you have the capacity and the appropriate equipment, we strongly encourage 35mm screenings over DVD due to the superior image quality. Universities with film or media departments are likely to have 35mm projection equipment. You can also look for a larger auditorium on your campus. If you choose to present your films in 35mm, the Tournées grant is $2,300 instead of $1,800.

If you have any questions about your application, send us an email at tourneesfestival@facecouncil.org. We will be happy to help you.