Northern Film + Media (NFM) have recently launched their latest project, Blueprint, through its Tees Valley Screen arm funded by Arts Council England (ACE) and the Tees Valley Combined Authority.
Blueprint is a creative development programme for early career artists and creatives in Tees Valley who want to hone and improve their skills in film and video. The project is seeking creatives who want to experiment and play, who will make the most of the opportunity to make a new short moving image work, and who can commit to the programme of webinars and workshops across 2021.
This is a key area of development for NFM, one of the organising partners of the event series, who aim to commission young and diverse stories from content makers across the North East.
Chief Executive of NFM, Alison Gwyn, said,
“Showcasing and nurturing the talents of individuals from all backgrounds across the Tees Valley is an important element of the work Tees Valley Screen continues to do in the region, and by launching this project, we feel we can stretch out our arms to include some of the brightest talent and watch them flourish through Blueprint.”
“I am thrilled that ACE and the Tees Valley Combined Authority have rewarded the potential of this project with funding and I’m delighted that some of the biggest names in the creative industry in the Tees Valley are involved.”
Working in partnership with MIMA, Middlesbrough Institute of Art, MIMA School of Art and Design, The Auxiliary, Living Archive, ARC Stockton and FLAMIN, Blueprint aims to find five individuals who want to make moving-image work. One place is reserved for a disabled or D/deaf creative, another for a creative person of colour and one for a graduate of MIMA, School of Art & Design (and its precursor) since 2016.
Head of Programme at MIMA, Elinor Morgan, said,
“MIMA and the MIMA School of Art and Design, part of Teesside University, are committed to the development of ideas and practices of artists and creatives in the Tees Valley. Through this collaboration with Tees Valley Screen, we’re supporting a new generation of artists and film makers by sharing our experience and expertise and opening up our international networks.
“We’re really excited to connect with practitioners and continue to build the area’s creative infrastructures in partnership.”
The successful individuals will receive a £3,000 bursary to deliver a short film commission, a series of workshops and masterclasses covering a range of themes such as artist film practice and fundraising, a series of events with the different project partners, a residency studio space at The Auxiliary, Middlesbrough and the finished film to be presented publicly at MIMA, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art with the work-in-progress to be showcased at the Middlesbrough Art Weekender.
Those interested in applying should email blueprint@nfmarchive.northeastscreen.org for an informal conversation.