State Aid
Difficult and Low Budget Films
The European Commission communication document of September 2001 stated that ‘aid intensity must in principle be limited to 50% of the production budget'. Difficult and low budget films are excluded from this limit. The Commission considers that under the subsidiarity principle it is up to each member state to establish a definition of a difficult and low-budget film according to national parameters.
If state aid from all sources, when aggregated with the Section 481 net benefit, exceeds 50%, Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland may supply a derogation to the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport.
You can download an application form for Difficult Cert here.
European Commission and the Irish film support scheme.
European Certificate of Irish Nationality
As of 1st July 2022 Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland will no longer be responsible for issuing European Certificates of Irish Nationality to films under the provision of the 1963 EC First Films Directive (63/607/EEC).
Going forward, the process will be implemented pursuant to the Directive 2010/13/EU concerning the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) which came into force in September 2020 and which will be transposed into Irish law as part of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill (OSMR).
The AVMSD provides that certain measures are in place to guarantee conditions of fair competition without prejudice to the public interest role to be discharged by the audiovisual media services. The Directive ensures enhanced promotion of European works and cultural diversity, whereby, on-demand services providers must share at least 30% of European work in their catalogues and guarantee the prominence of European content.
Under the framework of the draft OSMR Bill the producer will be responsible for the self-certification of a film, confirming it to be of a European Work as defined in the Bill and as set out below.
European works is defined in Head 64 of the OSMR Bill (and based on the definition of European Works in the Revised Audiovisual Media Services Directive) as the following:
- Works originating in Member States;
- Works originating in European third States party to the European Convention on Transfrontier Television of the Council of Europe and fulfilling the conditions of paragraph 3;
- Works co-produced within the framework of agreements related to the audiovisual sector concluded between the Union and third countries and fulfilling the conditions defined in each of those agreements.
The works referred to in points (i) and (ii) are works mainly made with authors and workers residing in one or more of the States referred to in those sections provided that they comply with one of the following three conditions:
- They are made by one or more producers established in one or more of those States;
- The production of the works is supervised and actually controlled by one or more producers established in one or more of those States;
- The contribution of co-producers of those States to the total co-production costs is preponderant and the co-production is not controlled by one or more producers established outside those States.
Works that are not European works within the meaning of the definition of “European Works” but that are produced within the framework of bilateral co-production agreements concluded between Member States and third countries shall be deemed to be European works provided that the co-producers from the Union supply a majority share of the total cost of production and that the production is not controlled by one or more producers established outside the territory of the Member States.
The application of (ii) and (iii) of this section shall be conditional on works originating in the State or another Member State not being the subject of discriminatory measures in the third country concerned.
LIST OF BI-LATERAL TREATIES IN PLACE WITH IRELAND
- Agreement between the Government of Ireland and the Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg on Audio-Visual Relations
- Agreement on Film and Video relation between the Government of Canada and the Government of Ireland
- Films Co-Production Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of Ireland
- Agreement between the Government of Ireland and the Government of South Africa concerning the co-production of films
- Agreement between the Government of Ireland and the Government of New Zealand concerning the co-production of films
Eurimages
Ireland is a member of the Council of Europe's production support fund, Eurimages: therefore, projects that are produced in Ireland or co-produced with Ireland can avail of Eurimages funding.
The fund supports production of feature films, documentaries and animated films that are intended for cinematographic exhibition and are co-productions between at least two member states. Eurimages was established in 1988 and Ireland has been a member since 1992. Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland pays Ireland's subscription to Eurimages annually.
Emma Scott is Ireland's representative on the Eurimages board of management. Eurimages hold full board of management meetings four times per year culminating in funding results and policy decisions. If you wish to pursue an application, having first read the Eurimages Guidelines to ascertain eligibility, please contact Emma Scott in advance making a submission to Eurimages, even as a minority co-producer.
For full details of the fund, please consult the Eurimages website.
Irish films (majority and minority co-productions) that have been in receipt of Eurimages funding are:
2026: Lucia, A Few Miles South, If Love Should Die
2025: Granny Lee, Mary Rose, The Siege of Paradise, Behind The Green Curtain, Diamond Shitter, Silence of the Lams
2024: Fixing the War
2023: Outfoxed, September Says
2022: Niko - Beyond the Northern Lights, The End
2021: Five and a Half Love Stories in an Apartment in Vilnius
2020: In Absentia, Young Plato, The Flats
2019: Wolf, I Never Cry
2018: The Racer, Servants, Ooops! Back in the Deep End
2017: Jade, Sweetness in the Belly, Vivarium, Dirty God, Jumpman
2016: Muse, Return to Montauk, Black '47, Never Grow Old
2015: Halal Daddy, The Ash Lad, The Mute
2014: The Last King, Wait for Me
2013: The Lobster, The Invisible Boy, De Surprise, Kongens Nei (The King's Choice), 11 Minutes
2012: Menu Degustacio (Tasting Menu), A Thousand Times Good Night, Moscow Never Sleeps, Le Temps de l'Aventure
2011: Niko A Family Affair
2010: A Royal Affair, Moon Man, The Polish Plumber (Documentary), This Must Be the Place, Wonderland
2009: All Good Children, As If I Am Not There, Essential Killing, The Hideaways, Thor: The Edda Chronicles, Some Other Stories, Circus Fantasticus
2008: Swansong: The Story of Occi Byrne, Triage, Foxes
2007: Dorothy Mills, Das Vatterspiel, Way to the Stars
2006: Little Foxes, Summer of the Flying Saucer, Dot Com
2005: The Front Line, True North (aka Dragnet), Brendan and the Secret of Kells
2004: Ugly Duckling & Me, Short Order
2002: Song For A Raggy Boy
2001: Headrush
2000: How Harry Became A Tree, H3
1999: Chaos, Nora
1998: Help! I'm a Fish, Mal de Nos/Mercy
1997: Sweety Barrett, Out of Passion, Love & Rage
1996: The Fifth Province
1995: A Further Gesture, Last of the High Kings, Spaghetti Slow, Joe My Friend
1994: Guiltrip, Frankie Starlight, Snakes and Ladders, Divine Magic - The World of the Supernatural, The Disappearance of Finbar
1993: The Bishop's Story, Moondance
Creative Europe
As a member of the European Union, projects produced in Ireland and co-produced with Ireland qualify for funding from Creative Europe.
Creative Europe is a European Union programme to support the European audiovisual, cultural and creative sectors. From 2014-2020, €1.46 billion is available to cultural and creative practitioners to operate across Europe, reach new audiences and develop digital skills.
Creative Europe brings together a Culture sub-programme, which provides funding for the cultural and creative sectors; a MEDIA sub-programme, which invests in film, television, new media and games; and a Cross-sectoral strand which includes a Financial Instrument for the Cultural and Creative Sectors. By helping European cultural and audiovisual works to reach audiences in other countries, the programme will also contribute to safeguarding cultural and linguistic diversity.
The MEDIA sub-programme of Creative Europe supports the development, distribution and promotion of the output of the film and audio-visual industries. Supported areas include:
- Development (Single Projects & Slate Funding) - Drama, Animation and Documentary for Cinema, Television and Digital Platform exploitation.
- Development of Video Games
- Support for co-financed Europe TV programming – Drama, Animation and Documentary for Television and Digital Platform exploitation.
- Audiovisual Festivals and Markets
- Pan Europe Training programmes for Audiovisual Professionals
- Distribution and Exhibition
- Co-production funds
- Film Education
To learn more about the opportunities that Creative Europe can offer, please contact the Irish information offices:
For the MEDIA Sub-programme:
Creative Europe Desk Ireland – MEDIA Office
Email: eibhlin@creativeeuropeireland.eu
Creative Europe Desk Galway
Email: eibhlin@creativeeuropeireland.eu
For the Culture Sub-Programme:
Creative Europe Desk Ireland – Culture Office