• In response to Lord Smith of Finsbury's report on the future of film, the BFI announced its new direction, Maev Kennedy reported.Here's Ben Hoyle from the Times (paywall) too.
• Lovely news that Jeremy Deller will represent Britain at the 2013 Venice Biennale. (Shame he couldn't have saved his bouncy castle Stonehenge for the occasion, frankly: but this is an opportunity for the artist to pull out all the stops. Should be worth waiting for.)
• The shortlist for the £100,000 Art Fund prize for museums and galleries was announced this week. Successful were the Hepworth Wakefield, Royal Albert Memorial Museum Exeter, Scottish National Portrait Gallery and the Watts Gallery (conflict of interest alert: I am on the panel).
• The Cannes film festival began. Yet again, controversy at the lack of women in the main lineup (of 22 films): . Last year there were four, which was considered exceptional.
• The BBC is to televise the opening night concert of the London 2012 festival. The Simón Bolívar Orchestra of Venezuela under Gustavo Dudamel will perform live from Raploch, an estate in Stirling whose children have been involved in an audacious project of Venezuela-inspired intensive music-making.
• Today, finally, some of the successful applicants were announced for Catalyst, Arts Council England and DCMS's scheme to help arts organisations' fundraising efforts. Here's the ACE release.
However, the larger awards for organisations seeking to build up their endowments will not be announced until June. Alan Davey, chief executive of ACE, has written to relevant organisations saying:
Dear Catalyst Endowment applicant,
As you know, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is a major funder of the endowments scheme, alongside Arts Council England and the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, will announce the Catalystendowment awards at 9.00am on Wednesday 20 June. Applicants will receive an invitation to the announcement and press event.
I do appreciate that this is later than anticipated and would like to remind you that all funding raised after 16 January is eligible within the terms of the programme.
Best wishes,
Alan
Sounds like code for "don't blame us for the delay – blame the job-hanging-by-a-thread secretary of state".
