U.S. Department of State Signs Interagency Film Agreement

U.S. Department of State Signs Interagency Film Agreement

Media Note

Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC

May 21, 2013

Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Tara Sonenshine and Acting Chairman Carole Watson of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) today signed an Interagency Agreement (IAA) that provides overseas embassies the right to use grant-funded films royalty-free.

Under the IAA, NEH will require its “America’s Media Makers” grant recipients to provide films free of any license fees, resulting in substantial cost savings to the Department.

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Information Programs (IIP) will coordinate with NEH-funded filmmakers to obtain films and other media used for diplomatic outreach conducted by embassies and consulates. Past NEH-funded films under the “America’s Media Makers” grant program include PBS’ Dust Bowl, HBO’s civil rights drama The Loving Story, and American Public Media’s American Routes radio series. NEH’s grant program supports the production of an average of 12 major documentary films and multi-media projects each year.

ENDS

© Scoop Media