Member Article

Reel Help for Tate from Chamber International

A NEW film about a celebrated contemporary Lebanese artist has been made by national art gallery, Tate, thanks to support from Yorkshire-based Chamber International.

Two freelance filmmakers were sent to Beirut, Lebanon, by Tate, to make a documentary about Marwan Rechmaoui, after obtaining a temporary goods export permit, an ATA Carnet, through overseas trade specialist, Chamber International.

Marwan Rechmaoui’s work deals with urban development and social history and his Beirut Caoutchouc is a large black rubber floor mat in the shape of the city which is displayed at Tate Modern

As the two filmmakers, Mike Tamman and Owynne Dawkins, from the London-based M.O.D. Collective, were temporarily exporting filmmaking equipment, Tate

found that it could avoid paying import duty and dealing with complex customs controls on arrival at Beirut airport by using an ATA Carnet for the valuable cameras, lighting, lenses and sound equipment.

Tate’s production assistant, Elizabeth Robert, says: “Mike and Owynne were in Beirut for five nights, making the film with Marwan who showed them around the city. Tate’s goal is to promote public understanding and enjoyment of British, modern and contemporary art. Making films about artists from all around the world helps develop cultural dialogue internationally.

“The Marwan Rechmaoui documentary is part of the “TateShots” film series. These educational films aim to feature art and artists in Tate’s collection in a thoughtful and compelling way. The documentary is destined for online publishing and in-gallery screening

“Obtaining an ATA Carnet through Chamber International was very useful and gave peace of mind to our crew once they were abroad. It avoided any chances of having the kit taken from them at customs which meant the rest of the film production could run smoothly once they landed.”

ATA Carnets, which translates to “book of temporary admission tickets”, can be used for temporary exports – where goods are not to be sold - to fast-track customs in more than 80 countries belonging to the Carnet scheme without the need to pay duty and/or local tax on their arrival.

ATA Carnets are widely used by businesses to obtain duty free import and fast clearance of professional equipment, commercial samples and goods for trade fairs as well as by touring theatre companies, film crews and musicians touring overseas.

Chamber International account executive, Lydia Moi, says: “Exporters present Carnets to Customs for shipments when leaving the UK and on arrival at their destination and save a lot of time and money by using them. This is the first time that we have supported Tate Britain and we were very pleased to assist with such a fascinating cultural project.

“If Tate not been issued with a carnet, they would have been liable to pay up to £6, 925 as a security deposit to Lebanese customs and would have had to complete all the necessary paperwork at the border on arrival there.”

Tate Britain, which first opened in 1897, is now part of a network of galleries o in England including Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It houses a substantial collection of the art of the United Kingdom since Tudor times.

Chamber International, which has a presence in York, is the official issuing body for ATA Carnets in Yorkshire and Humberside. The organisation also assists chambers of commerce with a wide range of specialist international trade services and is and is exclusively partnered with London headquartered global testing organisation, Intertek, to assist with a wide range of issues including product conformity.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Mike Clarke Communications .