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Random Acts: Arts Council England will invest in £3 million partnership with Channel 4 to find and develop talented young people

Arts Council England and Channel 4 today announced a partnership to re-launch the channel’s Random Acts strand, which finds and develops talented 16-24 year olds, with a more prominent television slot, enhanced online presence, increased funding and a more ambitious remit. 

Random Acts began in 2011 with the aim of showing television made by artists, rather than programmes about them. Since then it has broadcast over 500 short films covering art, dance, animation, music and opera, including work by Ai Weiwei, Tinie Tempah, Kate Tempest, Jake and Dinos Chapman and Marina Abramovic (all still available on the Random Acts website). 

It has become a home for experimentation and innovation, bringing the cutting edge of contemporary culture to mainstream TV audiences.  We have been a partner in and co-funder of the project from the beginning, but this next phase of the relationship sees a significant increase in our contribution, and boosts the strand’s role as a place where the next generation of talent can find their voice.

As part of the new plans for the expanded Random Acts programme, Arts Council England will invest £3 million in finding and developing 16 to 24-year-old creative talent, establishing a series of regional networks across the country. Each network will see arts organisations, artists, educational bodies and production companies collaborate on significant training and development for young artists and arts film-makers. The resulting short films from these networks will be played on the Random Acts strand on television and online, – as part of Channel 4’s new short form content brand 4Shorts on 4oD –  alongside artist films from more established talent commissioned directly by Channel 4.

The strand will also include a new Random Acts TV series, which will act as a showcase for the world of digital short-form creativity on mainstream television. The short films selection will additionally be showcased on 4oD’s new 4Shorts hub which will enable on-demand viewers to interact with and share the content.

Sir Peter Bazalgette, Chair Arts Council England said:
‘Channel 4 has a knack for giving a voice to younger audiences, so we see Random Acts as key to our ambition to inspire new, diverse and dynamic young talent. We want this partnership to enable the next generation of artists and filmmakers to showcase their work to the widest possible audiences.’

Links and further information

Explore the Random Acts website

Like the Random Acts Facebook page

Follow Random Acts and Arts Council England on Twitter

 

Channel website: http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/

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