The European Commission is supporting the film industry in the Mediterranean region through a third edition of its Euromed Audiovisual Programme with $15m (€11m) between 2011-2013.

The goal of Euromed Audiovisual III is to support the film and audiovisual sector in nine South Mediterranean countries: Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Morocco, the occupied Palestinian Territory, Syria and Tunisia.

Seven projects have been funded by this latest edition including the training project Med Film Factory (MFF) which is aimed at teams of Arab film directors and producers working on their first or second feature films. Jordan’s Royal Film Commission is organizing MFF’s three workshops for 8-10 selected teams in partnership with Tunisia’s Sud Ecriture Scenario and Galway-based Huston School of Film & Digital Media

Meanwhile, there are two projects targeting documentary filmmakers: Beirut DC’s DOCmed designed for Arab documentary professionals with projects having international co-production potential, and Greenhouse aimed at Mediterranean film school graduates and emerging filmmakers for the development of documentary projects.

In addition, three film schools specialized in the areas of the audiovisual, arts and multimedia in Tunisia Morocco and Lebanon are joining forces through the Dia Sud Med project to develop training modules on the management of audiovisual industries.

Funding has also been provided for Italian broadcaster RAI’s coordination of the Terramed Plus project which aims to promote Mediterranean audiovisual works among the general public of the Euro-Mediterranean region through the creation of a video-on-demand platform of Arab and non-Arab production.

Previous cycles of Euromed Audiovisual from 2000 to 2009 had been focused on reinforcing intercultural dialogue and promoting exchange across the Mediterranean, helping professionals to get training and develop, distribute and promote their works on an international level.

Films benefiting from participation in one of Euromed’s previous projects included Eran Kolirin’s multi-award winner The Band’s Visit and Hany Tamba’s Une Chanson dans la tete, Jordanian Fadi Hindash’s documentary Not Quite The Taliban, and Jonathan Sagall’s Lipstikka [pictured] which screened in the Competition section of this year’s Berlinale.

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