Solas Nua Inc

SOLAS NUA, "NEW LIGHT" IN IRISH, IS THE ONLY ORGANIZATION IN THE U.S. DEVOTED TO BRINGING THE BES OF CONTEMPORARY IRISH ARTS TO OUR AUDIENCES.

A. THE 15TH ANNUAL CAPITAL IRISH FILM FESTIVAL (CIFF) WAS HELD IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE (AFI), SILVER SPRING, MD. DUE TO COVID RESTRICTIONS PREVENTING IN-PERSON EVENTS, CIFF WAS EXTENDED TO A 10 DAY PERIOD AND OFFERED ON A STREAMING SERVICE THROUGH AFI'S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE EVENTIVE PLATFORM. OUR AUDIENCE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WATCH FILMS AT THEIR CONVENIENCE, AT HOME ANY TIME DURING THE 10 DAY FESTIVAL. ONCE A TICKET HOLDER STARTED A FILM, THEY COULD STOP WATCHING (PAUSE), AS NECESSARY AND RESUME WATCHING THAT FILM WITHIN A 48 HOUR WINDOW. WE SOLD 156 ALL-ACCESS PASSES (COMPARED TO 76 THE PRIOR YEAR) AND 2,841 INDIVIDUAL TICKETS IN AGGREGATE FOR THE 32 FILMS INCLUDED IN THE FESTIVAL.

OTHER EXPENSES

16TH ANNUAL CAPITAL IRISH FILM FESTIVAL: THIS EVENT WAS PRSENTED WITH THE AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE. OVER A 4 DAY PERIOD (MARCH 3RD TO 6TH), WE PRESENTED 16 FULL LENGTH FEATURE FILMS AND 12 SHORT FILMS TO AN AUDIENCE OF 1,230 PEOPLE. WE PRESENTED THE FIRST ANNUAL NORMAN HOUSTON PRIZE TO A SHORT FILM PRODUCED BY A NORTHERN IRELAND ARTIST, NAMELY "AN IRISH GOODBYE" WHICH WENT ON TO BE OSCAR NOMINATED IN 2023 AND WON THE OSCAR IN ITS CATEGORY.

VARIOUS OTHER ACTIVITIES IN SUPPORT OF IRISH ARTS

B.IN JUNE, 2021, WE PRODUCED A NOVEL, OUTDOOR LIVE THEATRE SHOW TITLED "IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FIELD' AT A NATIONAL PARK SITE IN NORTHWEST DC. THE OUTDOOR STAGING OFFERED LIMITED LAWN SEATING THAT HELPED ADDRESS COVID SAFETY, DISTANCE CONCERNS. UNFORTUNATELY, AT THAT TIME OF YEAR, THE PERFORMANCES RISKED SUDDEN EARLY EVENING THUNDERSTORMS AND WE HAD TO CANCEL 4 PERFORMANCES IN OUR INTENDED 18 PERFORMANCE RUN. THE PLAY RECEIVED RAVE CRITICAL REVIEWS AND WON SOLAS NUA ACCOLADES FOR THE NOVELTY OF RESORTING TO AN OUTDOOR PLAY PRODUCTION AS A WAY OF RESUMING LIVE THEATRE WHILE PANDEMIC CONCERNS AND RESTRICTIONS HAD SHUT DOWN MOST OTHER THEATER COMPANIES.

WE PRODUCED 2 LIVE PERFORMANCES, ONE IN JUNE (9TH TO 26TH) AND ANOTHER IN NOVEMBER (3RD TO 20TH) AT TH ATLAS CENTER FOR PERFORMING ARTS. BOTH PRODUCTIONS RECEIVED CRITICAL ACCLAIM IN THE LOCAL PRESS AND EACH RECEIVED HELEN HAYES AWARD NOMINATIONS.

C.REALIZING THAT COVID RESTRICTIONS WOULD HINDER ARTISTIC PROGRAM OFFERINGS THROUGHOUT 2021, OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CREATED A SERIES OF PODCASTS TO BE OFFERED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR WITH A CELEBRITY HOST IN IRELAND TRAVELING THAT COUNTRY TO INTERVIEW A VARIETY OF ARTISTS. THE PODCASTS WERE TITLED "WE ARE THE MAKERS- AND ARE A LONG-FORM AUDIO DOCUMENTARY SERIES. THESE QUARTERLY TRANSMISSIONS ARE PART PORTRAIT, PART DIARY, TRAVELOGUE AND SOUNDSCAPE. CULTURE IRELAND WILL PROVIDE PARTIAL FUNDING IN 2022 BECAUSE THIS CREATIVE FORMAT ADDRESSED THE INABILITY OF ARTISTS TO TRAVEL YET PROVIDED A WAY FOR THEM TO EARN PERFORMANCE FEES OTHER THAN TRADITIONAL BOX OFFICE RECEIPTS. THE PROGRAM WAS A CRITICAL SUCCESS AND APPROXIMATELY 1,800 VIEWERS ENJOYED THESE PODCASTS. THE PODCASTS REMAIN AVAILABLE IN SOLAS NUA ARCHIVES FOR OTHERS TO ACCESS IN THE FUTURE. INCLUDED IN THIS ITEM ARE VARIUOS SMALL PROGRAMS SUCH AS NOTHERN LIGHTS RADIO, VOICES OF CHANGE, IT'S ABOUT A BICYCLE, SILENT & SIDEWALK.

WE CURATED, ASSEMBLED, INSTALLED AND STAFFED A SHOW AT WHITTLE SCHOOL FACILITY IN WASHINGTON, D.C. FOR THE MONTH OF JULY. OVER THE COURSE OF 18 DAYS IN THE MONTH, MANY NEW ART ENTHUSIASTS LEARNED ABOUT SOLAS NUA AND THE COLLECTION OF ARTISTS WORK THAT WE HAD ASSEMBLED.