Form Submission: IFCD Expert Evaluation form

Submitted by C_VILLASENOR on 20 Aug 2018

Brief summary of the project:

The project consists in a seminar of a theoretical and practical workshop to create awareness on the need of making film production more accessible to people with sensory disabilities; And to increase the competences into audio description and subtitling services for Latin America and Caribbean audiovisual contents.

1. RELEVANCE AND APPROPRIATENESS OF THE PROJECT TO THE OBJECTIVES AND AREAS OF INTERVENTION OF THE IFCD

1.1 Please describe how the project objectives and proposed impact/long-term benefits are aligned with at least one of the IFCD’s outcomes and associated expected results.:

ER 3.2 Critical capacity development needs related to creation, production and distribution are assessed and addressed at appropriate levels. The applicant will present a report to the Ibero-American audiovisual authorities conference which is part of the Ibero-American state and government chiefs’ summit, in order to demonstrate to the decision makers, the urgency of making audio visual contents more accessible to people with sensory disabilities. The new Latin American cinema foundation is a very well-known organization for all the people participating in the Ibero-American summit, so it is possible to foresee an interest on this theme. Nevertheless, more concrete actions are needed. ER 3.3 Participation in creation, production and distribution of cultural goods and services is widened to previously excluded regions and social groups. The project could contribute to widen the access of Latin American and Caribbean audio-visual contents, especially in Central America; Reducing inequities and fostering a better quality of life.

1.2 How do the objectives of this project proposal meet the current needs and priorities of the country/ region in terms of cultural policies and/or cultural industries?:

According to the National Commission Review Form (NCRF) the project is aligned with the national cultural industry policies and in accordance with the Cuban’s economic model.

1.3 To what extent are the project’s objectives specific and measurable?:

They are specific and measurable.

1.4 To what extent does the project contribute to the promotion of gender equality, the empowerment of youth, South-South and North-South-South cooperation and/or the participation of various groups in the areas of intervention of the IFCD?:

The project may contribute to develop a North-South-South cooperation of the Ibero-American countries, especially if it is capable of promoting interest and collaboration of the Ibero-American audiovisual authorities conference.

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2. FEASIBILITY OF THE PROJECT, AS WELL AS THE RELEVANCE AND EFFECTIVENESS OF ITS MODALITIES OF EXECUTION

2.1 What elements demonstrate the applicant’s organizational capacity (main activities of the institution/organization) and competence (skills and background of staff) to implement the work plan and manage the budget?:

The New Latin American cinema foundation has been working since 1985. Its first president was the world-wide known Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who supported the organization until his death. The Organization is one of the biggest and most prestigious promoters of Latin American cinema world-wide and continuously offers many activities that promote the knowledge and understanding of Latin American cinema by new audiences.

2.2 To what extent do the activities address relevant issues? Please explain how the methodology is appropriate to achieving the objectives?:

The activities address relevant issues. The methodology begins with a conference to present the state of the art of the subtitling and audio description in the film, audio-visual industry and publication, continues with the theoretical/practical regional workshop on the regulation standards of the subtitling and audio description on audio visual contents and its practical implementation, and finishes with a presentation to the Ibero-American audio visual and film authorities conference in order to raise awareness on the needs of people with sensory disabilities and sensitize them in order to promote changes into cultural policies. The evaluator thinks that a next step should be taken towards the effective creation of new policies, or the modification of the existing ones, in order to ensure a real and continuous impact in favor of the final beneficiaries of the project which are the people with sensory disabilities in Latin America and the Caribbean.

2.3 To what extent is the time frame realistic and coherent with the activities?:

The conference (1.1) and the workshop (2.2) will be held one after the other at the end of June and the beginning of July 2019, and after that the activities happen in very specific days: Press conference (16/12/19) and attendance to the meeting of the Ibero American authorities (28/03 to 01/04, 2020). It would be convenient that the publication (activity 1.2) could be presented during the press conference.

2.4 Have the direct and indirect beneficiaries of the project been clearly identified? To what extent are the outputs/deliverables and main activities relevant to the target beneficiaries and address their needs?:

The project identifies as the main direct beneficiaries the decision makers of public policies, researchers, film-makers, etc. And as indirect beneficiaries, the people with sensory disabilities in Latin America and the Caribbean. It’s not clear to the evaluator if the conference and the workshop is what the decision makers, the researchers, and the film-makers, need in order to promote the changes in public policies but are needed to widen the access of people with sensory disabilities to the audio-visual content produced in the region.

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3. FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY

3.1 Does the budget provide for adequate resources (salaries, fees, equipment, travel, communication, etc.) necessary for success of the project? If the budget has been overestimated or underestimated, please explain how.:

Considering the days that will take the implementation of the conference and the workshop, and that the rest of the activities can be understood as part of the routine activities of the Latin American cinema foundation, the applicant shall evaluate if a general direction, a general coordination, a general management, and an advisor of the project is needed, in order to make the necessary adjustments regarding the officials and the amount of salaries that will be granted. The evaluator considers that the main activities of the project do not justify the need of paying office material per eight months; and fuel for light vehicles, local and international calls and the use of cell phones, and electricity, all that for ten months. Those expenditures should be taken away from the project. The cost of the air transportation shall be more accurately quoted by the applicant because a cost between 1,000 and 1,500 is over estimated. The cost for the publication of the conference and the workshop results is $6,000, the applicant shall present at least two quotations to justify that amount.

3.2 What proportion of the budget is allocated to project activities versus overhead costs? Does the budget seem adequate and overhead costs estimated in compliance with the limit to a maximum of 30% of the total project budget?:

The budget includes a specified overhead amount that represents 14% of the total requested amount, which is in compliance with the maximum of 30% of the total project budget. Nevertheless, some adjustments on the overhead cost shall be done by the applicant.

3.3 Does the project proposal indicate any additional financial contributions to the project, such as co-funding and/or self- funding?:

A total amount of 3,780 in self founding by the NGO. Nevertheless, because the specific days into which the project´s activities will be held, the cost of the electricity ($2,780) during all the period can’t be included as a contribution to the project costs.

3.4 What actions have been foreseen to ensure financial accountability (e.g. Involvement of a financial officer)?:

The applicant will hire three people who will take care of the adequate use of the budget and follow the accounting procedures and regulations that are currently enforced in Cuba.

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4. IMPACT AND EXPECTED RESULTS, INCLUDING POTENTIAL FOR STRUCTURAL CHANGE

4.1 Are the project’s expected outputs and/or deliverables concrete, measurable and realistic? To what extent are they likely to achieve the objectives of the project?:

The project complies with this point.

4.2 To what extent are the main activities and the budget relevant and appropriate to achieving the intended outputs and/or deliverables?:

The budget presents many inconsistencies that must be addressed by the applicant.

4.3 To what extent is it expected that this project will have an impact/long-term benefits on the country/region’s cultural policies and/or cultural industries?:

Due the great prestige of the applicant, the project can produce a common understanding and raise awareness into the needs of people with sensory disabilities and the convenience of producing or adjusting cultural policies to ensure their access to Latin American and Caribbean audiovisual content, but awareness is not enough to consider that a long-term benefit is produced. The project must include very specific actions to transform that awareness in specific policy changes, in the country or in the Latin American region.

4.4 To what extent does the project demonstrate potential for structural change (for example: changes in the policy environment; far-reaching changes in public and professional organizational structures; and changes in the way government and regulatory authorities do business)?:

The project doesn’t not demonstrate a high potential for structural change.

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5. SUSTAINABILITY

5.1 To what extent are contractors and partners involved in the implementation of the project’s activities? Has the role of each contractor and/or partner been clearly described?:

The role of the partners is properly described. The project demonstrates a very important background of the contractors but does not explain clearly the role that each contractor will have into the project implementation.

5.2 How does the project relate to and/or complement the work that is already being carried out in the country/region in terms of cultural policies and/or industries?:

The applicant widely describes many convention programs and national laws that protect and support people with disabilities and their right of access to culture. Related to Cuba the project contributes to the activities that are being carried out to the “Tocando la Luz” (touching the light) project and the activities of the national association of people with visual impediment or disability. Nevertheless, not a specific national law or policy that could be updated is mentioned.

5.3 What measures/steps are proposed to ensure that the project’s impact/long-term benefits can be achieved?:

The main measure that will be put in place is the presentation of the results of the conference and the workshop to the Ibero-American audio-visual authorities conference.

5.4 What measures/steps are proposed to follow up with the beneficiaries of the project after its completion?:

Monitoring in the region through the observatory of the Latin American movie and audio-visual content in order to verify if the audio-visual contents produced in the region are accessible to people with sensory disabilities, the education and training activities, and the inclusion of accessible audio-visual contents into film festivals.

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Overall evaluation:

The project addresses a very important issue which is the access to audio-visual content by people with sensory disabilities in Latin America and the Caribbean. Nevertheless, that is important to build a common understanding of the legislation and regulations currently enforced in Latin America, its practical implementation, and to raise awareness into the needs and cultural rights of these considerable segment of the audience, all of that is not enough to produce structural change into cultural policies and the restructuration of the government budgets that are needed to ensure the access to audio-visual contents will be widened. On the other hand, many expenditure categories and costs per unit shall be adjusted by the applicant as described above. Because of all that, the project is not recommended for founding during the present period.