Australia Council Chief Executive Officer Tony Grybowski announced the Australia Council will commit one-million dollars of funding to support the development Deaf and disabled artists, groups and organisations.

Mr Grybowski said the decision to extend the dedicated arts and disability funding was made after a successful pilot was run earlier this year.

The pilot program confirmed there is a rich pool of talent in this area, and that is why we have extended the program for three years.

The Australia Council’s million dollar investment in arts and disability over 2015-2017 will provide development grants of up to $25,000 and project grants of up to $50,000 for individuals and groups.

Mr Grybowski said the dedicated arts and disability funding was identified as a strategic initiative under the organisations new five-year strategic plan and that it would play an important role in the realisation of its goals.

The new grants program begins in January 2015 with the first round of applications closing in March.

– Mr Grybowski said.

Editors Note: Access2Arts provides project consultation and feedback on grants, as well as supporting artist’s grant administration. Contact Martin Sawtell, Business by email to martin@access2arts.org.au to make an appointment. Access2Arts will also be running its popular Grant Writing seminar in late-January 2015.

If you find yourself looking for something to do on Saturday, come along. If you have plans, cancel them. Just make sure you come see the Sit Down, Shut Up and Watch Film and New Media Festival’s “Best of the Fest” screening on Saturday 8 November 2014 at the South Australian Film Corporation.

The “Best of Fest” includes a program of 19 short films covering a diverse range of themes, including; drama, animation, music videos, and comedy. All films were made by learning disability filmmakers and were chosen as finalists at the very first Sit Down, Shutup and Watch, Film & New Media Festival held last Friday 31 October, in Angaston, Barossa Valley, South Australia.

The “Best of Fest” brings this showcase to you with its first official roadshow. The program will be screened at the SAFC’s state-of-the-art facilities at Adelaide Studios.

The “Best of Fest” program was selected from over 43 entries from around the world, with finalists representing filmmakers from South Australia, Victoria, Germany, Ireland and United Kingdom.

Patrons will also have the opportunity to vote in The People’s Choice Award, which will be tallied, announced and presented on the day by special guest, Quentin Kenihan.

Come and see some amazing short films made by people with learning disability. Fun, quirky, wonderful, sad, funny and awe-inspiring!

Time/Date:

Sit Down, Shut Up and Watch Film and New Media Festival’s “Best of the Fest” screening begin from 2 PM, Saturday 8 November 2014

Venue:

South Australian Film Corporation, Adelaide Studios
226 Fullarton Road
Glenside, SA 5065

Tickets:

Tickets are $10 and are available from www.trybooking.com.

Please advise if you require wheelchair access by contacting Sue Morley, Festival Coordinator by email or phone: 8422 6511.

In October, Access2Arts hosted Melbourne artist, poet and writer, Matt Blackwood as part of its artist-in residence project aimed at introducing new forms of literary arts practice to Deaf and disabled artists.

Locative Literature is about writing, be it poems, prose, quotes, or verse, about a specific location and secreting these writings in the area of your location. The writing can be fact or fiction (Matt describes it as faction) but when discovered by members of the public it begins them thinking about the place they are in.

Over three days Matt ran workshops in a venue generously provided by SA Writers Centre, daily unleashing participants to explore and write about the locations that surrounded them.

Certainly the West-end of Rundle Street will not be thought of the same by some people.

Matt Blackwood’s residency was supported by funding from Arts SA’s Independent Makers and Presenters program. Access2Arts was suported by the SA Writers Centre and Mindshare.

Photos by Leon Woods.