DEPARTMENT: Department of Arts & Culture
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Debbie Racca-Sittre
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City-wide
SUBJECT: Adoption of the San Antonio Film Office Film Festival Funding Program guidelines.
SUMMARY: This ordinance establishes guidelines for the funding of film festivals by the San Antonio Film Office.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
On October 13, 2016, City Council unanimously adopted a five-year strategic plan for the San Antonio Film Office. The plan includes a winning proposition, practical vision and three key strategy areas:
Strategy #1: Ensure state and local film incentives are nationally competitive
Strategy #2: Invest, develop and maintain workforce and infrastructure needs
Strategy #3: Enhance marketing to increase business opportunities and build a strong film culture
As part of the second and third strategies of investing, developing and maintaining workforce and infrastructure needs and marketing to increase business opportunities and build a strong film culture, the San Antonio Film Office has developed guidelines for a Film Festival Funding Program based on feedback from a roundtable that consisted of producers of local film festivals. These guidelines were then presented to and adopted by the San Antonio Arts Commission’s Film Committee on February 2, 2017 and the San Antonio Arts Commission on February 21, 2017. The guidelines establish eligibility criteria, restrictions on use of funds, scoring criteria and the required deliverables.
ISSUE:
The Film Festival Funding Program guidelines establish the policy for funding of film festivals in San Antonio with the goal of developing and promoting the film culture. The department intends to use these guidelines to issue a formal Request for Proposals and establish a 2-year funding process, contingent on availability of City funds and the appropriation of funds by City Council. Awards are limited to a maximum 20% of festival’s overall budget and must be made to qualified non-profit organizations with a proven track record of hosting an annual film festival.
ALTERNATIVES:
City Council could choose to not approve Film Festival Funding Program guidelines. As a result, the San Antonio Film Office would not have a formularized process for providing funds to help grow and develop the film industry through the support building successful international, academy qualifying film festivals and a film convention/film market.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Film Festival Funding Program will utilize Hotel Occupancy Tax funds included in the operational budget of the San Antonio Film Office as a division of the Department of Arts & Culture. Contracts will be authorized and executed based on the City’s policy for expenditure contracts.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff and the San Antonio Arts Commission recommend approval of the Film Festival Funding Program guidelines to support the implementation of the San Antonio Film Commission Strategic Plan.