The Cultural Cinema Consortium - a joint initiative of the Arts Council and the Irish Film Board - have announced that capital investment funding, valued at €750,000, each has been offered to two cinema venues - Solas in Galway and the new Light and House@Smithfield development in Dublin. The money is to enable the further development of art house cinema exhibition. The main objectives of the Cultural Cinema Consortium, established in 2001, are to enhance and expand the range of cinema in the Republic of Ireland; to ensure audiences have a quality cultural experience with regard to world cinema, indigenous film-making and classic films and to foster an attractive investment environment for art house film infrastructure. The capital funding awarded will enable both Solas and Light and House@Smithfield to achieve this. The funding amounts offered today were made under Phase Two of the Consortium's capital investment scheme. In addition to the offers of €750,000 each to Solas and Light and House@Smithfield, additional amounts were awarded to 10 other art house exhibitors for building refurbishment and specific technical equipment investment. Speaking about the offers of funding, Mary Cloake, Arts Council Director said: “Irish audiences are passionate about cinema; our film-makers need to reach them. The Cultural Cinema Consortium funding ensures that opportunities to see many more films from Ireland and abroad will be created around the country.” “It is vital that Irish audiences all over this country can access the latest and greatest Irish cinema and that is why we are delighted to continue our partnership with the Arts Council on this important initiative”, said Irish Film Board CEO Mark Woods, adding that "IFB hopes each of the successful applicants will be pivotal in delivering local content to local audiences in the years ahead." In July 2003, under Phase One of the Consortium's capital investment scheme, it awarded capital investment funding valued at €750,000 each to Kino in Cork and Belltable's Filmhouse in Limerick for development of art house cinema. Attendance at Irish cinemas are among the highest in Europe. Some of the findings in an Arts Council commissioned report The Cultural and Economic Trends of Cinema in Ireland and Wales (Oct 2004) show that: “Cinema audiences in Ireland are among the highest in Europe, second only to Iceland. The annual frequency of cinema going per capita in Ireland (at 4.5 visits per year in 2002) is only surpassed by Iceland’s (5.7 visits).” For further information, CLICK HERE