Irish state development body for film, TV and animation
Screen Ireland
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Founded
| 1980?87, 1993?present
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Type
| Film, television and animation funding
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Location
| |
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Area served
| Ireland
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Website
| www
.screenireland
.ie
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Fis Eireann / Screen Ireland
, formerly known as
Bord Scannan na hEireann / the Irish Film Board
, is
Ireland
's state development agency for the Irish film, television and animation industry. It provides funds for the development, production and distribution of feature films, feature documentaries, short films, TV animation series and TV drama series.
History
[
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]
The Irish Film Board (IFB) originally operated from 1980 to 1987. During this period it produced or co-produced
Eat the Peach
,
Anne Devlin
and
Angel
. After its closure, the success of several externally funded Irish films, such as
My Left Foot
,
The Crying Game
and
The Commitments
, motivated local lobbyists to push for its re-establishment, which occurred in 1993. The board was reconstituted under the chairmanship of
Lelia Doolan
in 1993 by the
Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht
,
Michael D. Higgins
, who said "The whole reasoning behind my decision to develop the industry by means of a two-pronged approach ? namely, the reactivation of the Irish Film Board and my proposals in relation to independent television production contained in the Broadcasting Authority (Amendment) Bill 1993 ? is precisely to exploit the technical facilities available in Ireland at present and the imaginative and creative skills which exist in that industry which have been underemployed".
[1]
Fis Eireann/Screen Ireland
[
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]
On 10 April 2018, at a press conference for the publication of
Investing in our Culture, Language and Heritage 2018?2027
(published as part of Project Ireland 2040),
[2]
[3]
Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht
Josepha Madigan
announced that from 18 June 2018, the agency would become known as Fis Eireann/Screen Ireland. The decision to change the name of the agency was announced in 2015,
[4]
by Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht
Heather Humphreys
who said that the name-change "recognises the body’s increasing interests beyond the world of cinema and reminds us how, in this digital age, filmmakers now rarely work in the medium of 'film.'"
International recognition
[
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]
From 1993 to 2004, the organisation supported an indigenous industry which produced over 100 feature films. Irish film talent was recognized internationally and industry collaboration of Irish producers, writers and directors was well underway producing such work as
Ailsa
(1993),
I Went Down
(1997),
About Adam
(1999),
Disco Pigs
(2000),
Bloody Sunday
(2002),
Intermission
(2003),
The Magdalene Sisters
(2003),
Omagh
(2004),
Man About Dog
(2004),
Adam & Paul
(2004),
Breakfast on Pluto
(2005),
The Wind that Shakes the Barley
(2006)
Once
(2007),
Garage
(2007),
The Secret of Kells
(2009),
His & Hers
(2009)
The Guard
(2011),
Albert Nobbs
(2012),
What Richard Did
(2012),
The Stag
(2014),
Calvary
(2014),
Song of the Sea
(2014),
The Lobster
(2015),
Brooklyn
(2015) and
Room
(2015).
Notable Irish box office successes for Irish film include
Intermission
which grossed over €2 million at the Irish box office in 2003,
Man About Dog
which in 2004 grossed over €2.5 million at the Irish box office,
The Guard
which grossed over €18 million at the international box office and
Brooklyn
which had earned over €2 million at the Irish box office and €11 million at the US box office as of December 2015.
[
citation needed
]
IFB-funded productions featured at major international awards include
Six Shooter
(Best Live Action Short Film,
Academy Awards
2006),
The Wind that Shakes the Barley
(
Palme d’Or
,
Cannes Film Festival
2006),
Once
(Best Original Song,
Academy Awards
2008),
The Secret of Kells
(nominated for Best Animated Feature,
Academy Awards
2010),
Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God
(Exceptional Merit in documentary Filmmaking,
Emmy Awards
2013),
Song of the Sea
(nominated for Best Animated Feature,
Academy Awards
2015),
The Lobster
(
Jury Prize
,
Cannes Film Festival
2015),
Room
(People's Choice Award,
Toronto International Film Festival
2015),
The Killing of a Sacred Deer
, and
The Breadwinner
(Academy Awards nomination).
[
citation needed
]
International production
[
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]
From 1994 to 2004 there were high levels of international film productions choosing
Ireland
as a location for filming as a result of the Irish tax incentive for film and television Section 35, which became Section 481 of the Taxes Consolidated Act in 1999. Ireland introduced a film production tax incentive, making Ireland more competitive for film production than its international competitors.
[
citation needed
]
As a result of the high levels of incoming production into Ireland, the craft and skills base of Irish crews improved, and those crews were then also available to work on Irish films.
[
citation needed
]
Major international films shot in Ireland during this period include
Braveheart
and
Reign of Fire
.
In the 21st century Ireland has become the base for a number of high-end international TV dramas including
The Tudors
(2007-2010),
Ripper Street
(2012 ? 2016),
Penny Dreadful
(2014 ? 2016),
Vikings
(2013 ? present),
Into the Badlands
(2017 ? present), and
Nightflyers
(2018 ? present).
[
citation needed
]
Animation
[
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]
The agency did not initially have a policy of funding
animation
. In 1991, a group of animators and animation students established the
Anamu Animation Base
, promoting the growth of independent Irish animation. Along with other groups, Anamu successfully lobbied for the film board to support animation projects. From the late 1990s, the film board has provided support to Ireland's animation industry.
[5]
Board
[
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]
As of 2017, the board was chaired by Annie Doona,
[
citation needed
]
the president of
Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology
, where the National Film School is located. At that time, the board also consisted of producer Katie Holly, the managing director of Blinder Films;
Larry Bass
, founder and CEO of
ShinAwil Productions
; Mark Fenton, founder and CEO of Masf Consulting; Rachel Lysaght, founder and lead creative producer of Underground Films; Kate McColgan, producer and managing director of Calico Productions and Marian Quinn, writer, director and founder of Janey Pictures.
[
citation needed
]
Funding
[
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]
Screen Ireland operates under the aegis of
Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
. Its annual budget is decided by
Dail Eireann
and it had a total capital budget of €14.03 million in 2015.
[
citation needed
]
Screen Ireland provides funds for the development, production and distribution of feature films, feature documentaries, short films, TV animation series and TV drama series.
[
citation needed
]
Selected filmography
[
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]
See also
[
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]
References
[
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]
External links
[
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]