About the program
MEDIA Programme supports every year a number of 300 new European film projects and half of the European films broadcast in cinemas have the support of MEDIA.
The European audiovisual field is an essential vector for conveying and developing European citizenship because it is one of the most important communication poles of the European values towards the European citizens and especially towards the young people.
The overall budget of the MEDIA Programme is of 755 million Euro over seven years (2007-2013).
The overall objectives of MEDIA are:
- to preserve and enhance European cultural diversity and its cinematographic and audiovisual heritage, to guarantee accessibility for Europeans and to promote intercultural dialogue;
- to increase the circulation of European audiovisual works inside and outside the European Union;
- to strengthen the competitiveness of the European audiovisual sector in the framework of an open and competitive market.
In order to achieve these objectives, the Programme shall support:
- upstream of audiovisual production: the acquisition and improvement of skills in the audiovisual field and the development of European audiovisual works;
- downstream of audiovisual production: the distribution and promotion of European audiovisual works;
- pilot projects to ensure that the Programme adjusts to market developments.