2023 at a Glance
Funding 2023
7 new Animation Projects supported for production
8 new Irish Feature Films supported for production
10 new Creative Co-Production Projects supported for production
8 new TV Drama Projects supported for production
€3m Average Production Budget for an Irish Feature Film
60.8% of Screen Ireland supported Project Production Budgets is international finance
29 Irish & Irish co-production feature film releases
23 Academy Award nominations in the last 10 years
Funding for Screen Ireland comes directly from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. In 2023 the total amount of funding was €37.93m which is broken down to €33.05m in Capital and €4.88m in Current (overhead) funding.
| Year | Capital Funding | Current Funding |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | € 16,200,000 | € 3,840,000 |
| 2020 | € 27,550,000 | € 3,866,000 |
| 2021 | € 26,200,000 | € 3,890,000 |
| 2022 | € 32,150,000 | € 4,593,000 |
| 2023 | € 33,058,000 | € 4,888,000 |
Spend & Outrun
Screen Ireland Capital Funding
Screen Ireland allocates capital funding to project development, production, distribution, short films, training and industry support. The Capital budget is augmented by monies allocated from recouped amounts.
The following percentages were allocated as follows:
Budgeted Expenditure 2023
Committed Spend 2023
Project Data
Production & Development
Applications Assessed in 2023
This information relates to Projects that were assessed and decisions made between 1st January and 31st December 2023
DEVELOPMENT
| DEVELOPMENT | Applications Assessed | Successful Applications |
|---|---|---|
| Animation Development | 24 | 16 |
| Documentary Development | 38 | 20 |
| Irish Feature Film Development | 151 | 77 |
| Screenplay Development | 52 | 13 |
| TV Drama Development | 79 | 38 |
| Total | 344 | 164 |
| PRODUCTION | Applications Assessed | Successful Applications |
|---|---|---|
| Animation Production | 17 | 16 |
| Completion Funding | 3 | 1 |
| Creative Co-Production | 22 | 13 |
| Documentary Production | 47 | 27 |
| Irish Feature Film | 39 | 20 |
| TV Drama | 19 | 12 |
| Total | 147 | 89 |
| DISTRIBUTION | Projects |
|---|---|
| Direct Distribution | 20 |
| Distribution Support | 1 |
| Total | 21 |
| SHORT FILM SCHEMES | Applications Assessed | Successful Applications |
|---|---|---|
| Focus Shorts | 92 | 10 |
| Frameworks | 14 | 4 |
| Total | 106 | 14 |
Gender Statistics Overview
Development by Category
| Breakdown of Development Applications Received | Total Dev. Applications | Feature Film | % | Animation | % | Screenplay | % | Documentary | % | TV Drama | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Applications Received | 344 | 151 | 44% [1] | 24 | 7% | 52 | 15% | 38 | 11% | 79 | 23% |
| Projects w/ Female Writers | 139 | 52 | 34% [2] | 14 | 58% | 16 | 31% | 14 | 37% | 43 | 54% |
| Projects w/ Female Directors | 66 | 25 | 17% | 5 | 21% | 15 | 29% | 10 | 26% | 11 | 14% |
| Projects w/ Female Producers | 172 | 63 | 42% | 14 | 58% | 28 | 54% | 20 | 53% | 47 | 59% |
| Successful Applications | 164 | 77* | 47% [3] | 16 | 10% | 13 | 8% | 20 | 12% | 38 | 23% |
| Successful Projects w/ Female Writers (as % of successful applications) | 81 | 27 | 35% [4] | 10 | 63% | 6 | 46% | 9 | 45% | 29 | 76% |
| Successful Projects w/ Female Directors (as % of successful applications) | 29 | 12 | 16% | 3 | 19% | 3 | 23% | 5 | 25% | 6 | 16% |
Footnotes:
[1] Percentage of overall total Development applications received by category – i.e. 151 Development applications out of a total of 344 received (44%) were for Irish Feature Film Development and Additional Development (Feature Film) funding.
[2] Percentage of total Irish Feature Film Development and Additional Development (Irish Feature Film) Applications received that had a Female Writer attached – 52 Irish Feature Film Development Applications out of a total of 139 (34%) had a Female Writer.
[3] Percentage of total Irish Feature Film Development and Additional Development (Irish Feature Film) Applications received that were successful for Development funding; 77 Irish Feature Film Development and Additional (Irish Feature Film) Development applications out of a total of 151 received were successful for funding – i.e. Irish Feature Film Development and Additional (Irish Feature Film) Development Applications have a combined success rate of 51%.
[4] Percentage of successful Irish Feature Film Development and Additional Development (Irish Feature Film) applications with a Female Writer attached – i.e. 27 out of 77 successful Irish Feature Film Development and Additional Development (Irish Feature Film) applications (35%) had a Female Writer signed to the project.
Note: the same project can be included in more than one figure – e.g. if there is a female writer and a female director, it will be included in both ‘Projects w/ Female Writers’ and ‘Projects w/ Female Directors’ lines. Therefore, the totals will not match the category totals.
Production by Category
| Breakdown of Production Applications received | Total Production Applications | Irish Feature Film | % | Animation Production | % | Creative Co-Production | % | Documentary Production | % | TV Drama Production | % | Completion Funding | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applications Received | 147 | 39 | 26.50% | 17 | 11.50% | 22 | 15% | 47 | 32% | 19 | 13% | 3 | 2% |
| Projects w/ Female Writers | 66 | 15 | 38% | 12 | 71% | 5 | 23% | 20 | 43% | 14 | 74% | 0 | 0% |
| Projects w/ Female Directors | 50 | 10 | 26% | 7 | 41% | 4 | 18% | 17 | 36% | 12 | 63% | 0 | 0% |
| Projects w/ Female Producers | 88 | 27 | 69% | 7 | 41% | 11 | 50% | 27 | 57% | 15 | 79% | 1 | 33% |
| Successful Applications | 89 | 20 | 22% | 16 | 18% | 13 | 15% | 27 | 30% | 12 | 13% | 1 | 1% |
| Successful Projects w/ Female Writers (as % of successful applications | 45 | 8 | 40% | 11 | 69% | 4 | 31% | 13 | 48% | 9 | 75% | 0 | 0% |
| Successful Projects w/ Female Directors (as % of successful applications) | 34 | 6 | 30% | 6 | 38% | 3 | 23% | 12 | 44% | 7 | 58% | 0 | 0% |
| Successful Projects w/ Female Producers (as % of successful applications) | 52 | 15 | 75% | 6 | 38% | 6 | 46% | 15 | 56% | 10 | 83% | 0 | 0% |
Note: the same project can be included in more than one figure – e.g. if there is a female writer and a female director, it will be included in both ‘Projects w/ Female Writers’ and ‘Projects w/ Female Directors’ lines. Therefore, the totals will not match the category total
Project Funding Data
Production Funding Activity
Budget Levels and Spend in Ireland by Category* based in estimates at time of financial closing
| No. of Projects | Total Global Budget | Average Global Budget | Screen Ireland Funding | Screen Ireland Funding % Global Budget | Estimated Spend in Ireland | International Finance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animation | 7 | €16,333,724 | €2,333,389 | €1,419,000 | 8.60% | €8,266,953 | €10,555,228 |
| Creative Co-Production | 10 | €67,339,383 | €6,733,938 | €3,155,000 | 4.60% | €23,572,510 | €49,787,237 |
| Documentary | 8 | €3,026,846 | €432,407 | €1,270,000 | 42% | €2,917,430 | €411,735 |
| Irish Production | 8 | €24,338,801 | €3,042,350 | €4,890,000 | 20% | €14,924,266 | €10,921,516 |
| TV Drama | 8 | €56,734,493 | €7,091,811 | €5,345,988 | 9.40% | €35,305,829 | €30,328,867 |
| Total | 41 | €169,654,309 | €4,137,909 | €16,284,988 | 9.60% | €84,986,988 | €103,225,449 |
*excludes additional production funding.
The figure of 20% is based on cumulative total of all feature films produced in 2023. This includes two feature films with budgets in excess of €5 million.
For feature films with budgets below €5 million, Screen Ireland funding accounts for 40% of Global Budget.
| IRISH PRODUCTION (FEATURE FILM) | Screen Ireland Funding | Production Company |
|---|---|---|
| Christy | € 850,000 | Sleeper Films |
| An Fidil Ghorm | € 300,000 | Abú Media |
| Fréwaka | € 300,000 | Wildcard |
| Kathleen is Here | € 690,000 | Treasure Entertainment |
| Ready or Not | € 700,000 | Gaze Pictures |
| Small Things Like These | € 750,000 | Parallel Films & Big Things Films |
| Spilt Milk | € 800,000 | 925 Productions |
| The Damned | € 500,000 | Wild Atlantic Pictures |
| CREATIVE CO-PRODUCTION | Screen Ireland Funding | Production Company |
|---|---|---|
| Bring Them Down | € 350,000 | Tailored Films |
| Cry from the Sea | € 300,000 | ShinAwil Productions |
| Four Letters of Love | € 350,000 | Port Pictures |
| Freud’s Last Session | € 300,000 | Subotica |
| KNEECAP | € 280,000 | Wildcard Distribution |
| Sisters | € 350,000 | Element |
| The Apprentice | € 300,000 | Tailored |
| Wolf Fox Leopard | € 275,000 | Feline Films |
| ANIMATION | Screen Ireland Funding | Production Company |
|---|---|---|
| Doodle Girl | € 300,000 | Studio Meala |
| Goat Girl | € 330,000 | Daily Madness Productions |
| Hey! Fuzzy Yellow | € 200,000 | Treehouse Republic |
| HOLT | € 350,000 | Igloo Animations |
| Hungry Bear Tales: To the North Pole | € 60,000 | Treehouse Republic |
| Urban Tails (Season 2) | € 69,000 | Pink Kong Studios |
| Where the Wild Geese Go | € 110,000 | EZ Films |
| DOCUMENTARY | Screen Ireland Funding | Production Company |
|---|---|---|
| Housewife of the Year | € 195,000 | Little Wing Films |
| John Behan – Odyssey | € 100,000 | Poolbeg Productions |
| No Place Like Home | € 250,000 | Inland Films |
| RANSOM ‘79 | € 100,000 | John Kelleher Media |
| Sanatorium | € 250,000 | Venom Films |
| SIX BULLETS FIRED | € 225,000 | Gambit Pictures |
| Face Down: The Killing of Thomas Niedermayer | € 150,000 | Blueprint Pictures |
| TV DRAMA | Screen Ireland Funding | Production Company |
|---|---|---|
| Blackshore | € 800,000 | Treasure |
| Borderline | € 650,000 | Shinawil |
| Hidden Assets (Season 2) | € 800,000 | Saffron Moon |
| Louise Lives Large | € 395,988 | Tailored Films |
| Obituary | € 650,000 | Magamedia |
| The Boy That Never Was | € 650,000 | Subotica |
| The Dry (Season 2) | € 650,000 | Element |
| The Hardacres | € 750,000 | Newgrange Pictures |
| NATIONWIDE FUNDING | Category | Screen Ireland Funding | Production Company |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackshore | TV Drama | € 200,000 | Treasure Enertainment |
| Borderline | TV Drama | € 200,000 | ShinAwiL Productions |
| Callus | Short Film | € 3,000 | Bear Print Media |
| Christy | Irish Feature Film | € 240,000 | Sleeper Films |
| Cry From the Sea | Creative co-Production | € 300,000 | ShinAwiL Productions |
| Dead and Buried | TV Drama | € 80,000 | Vico Films |
| Fidil Ghorm | Irish Feature Film | € 300,000 | Abú Media |
| Fréwaka | Irish Feature Film | € 300,000 | Wildcard |
| Hidden Assets (Season 2) | TV Drama | 140,000 | Soho Moon |
| Kneecap | Creative Co-Production | € 300,000 | Wildcard |
| Louise Lives Large | TV Drama | € 40,000 | Tailored Films |
| Obituary | TV Drama | € 200,000 | Magamedia/Tua Films |
| Peat | Short Film | € 3,000 | Escape Pod Media |
| Saor Sin Ó Olc | TV Drama | € 300,000 | Fíbín Media |
| Two for the Road (aka Guinness and Coke) | Short Film | € 3,000 | Stori Creative |
| Uroboros | Short Film | € 3,000 | Constant Motion Pictures |
| Wrecker | Short Film | € 3,000 | Mixed Bag Media |
| Yellow Belt | Short Film | € 3,000 | Rye Films |
| SUSTAINABILITY ADVISOR FUNDING | Category | Screen Ireland Funding | Production Company |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two for the Road | Short Film | € 1,500 | Stori Creative |
| Hidden Assets (Season 2) | TV Drama | € 3,000 | Saffron Moon |
| Spilt Milk | Irish Feature Film | € 3,000 | 925 Productions |
| The Boy That Never Was | TV Drama | € 3,000 | Subotica |
| THE DRY SEASON 2 | TV Drama | € 3,000 | Element |
| Sisters (September Says) | Irish Feature Film | € 3,000 | Sackville Film and Television |
| An Fidil Ghorm | Irish Feature Film | € 3,000 | Abú Media |
| Abigail | Feature Film | € 3,000 | Wild Atlantic Pictures |
| Julián | Irish Feature Film | € 3,000 | Cartoon Saloon |
| The Hardacres | TV Drama | € 3,000 | Newgrange Pictures |
| Hallow Road | Creative Co-Production | € 3,000 | Hail Mary Pictures |
Audience & Box Office
Audience and the National Irish Box Office
Total Admissions for National Irish Box Office: 11,514,755
Total Gross National Box Office: € 101,671,092
Average National Ticket Price: € 8.83
Source: ComScore, Pearl & Dean
Irish Films at the Box Office*
| Title | Distributor |
|---|---|
| 406 Days | Eclipse Pictures |
| About Joan | Wildcard |
| Andre Rieu In Dublin 2023 (Concert) | Volta Pictures |
| Ann | Hill 16 Features |
| Apocalypse Clown | Vertigo Films/Wildcard |
| Atomic Hope | Wildcard |
| Ballywalter | Break Out Pictures |
| Barber | Eclipse Pictures |
| Dublin Crust | Sure Look Productions |
| Face Down | Eclipse Pictures |
| Flora & Son | Apple/Wildcard |
| God’s Creatures | Volta Pictures |
| Lakelands | Wildcard |
| Let the Wrong One In | Wildcard |
| Lies We Tell | Break Out Pictures |
| LOLA | Break Out Pictures |
| Marlowe | Sky Cinema |
| Miracle Club | Lionsgate |
| My Sailor My Love | Eclipse Pictures |
| O Bhéal | Eclipse Pictures |
| Pray For Our Sinners | Break Out Pictures |
| Puffin’s Rock | Wildcard |
| So This is Christmas | Break Out Pictures |
| Stolen | Wildcard |
| Sunlight | Wildcard |
| Tarrac | Break Out Pictures |
| The Future Tense | Desperate Optimists |
| The Hurler: A Campion’s Tale | Lovely Hurling |
| Town Of Strangers | New Wave |
| Who We Love | Amberley Film |
Source: ComScore, Pearl & Dean
Box Office Top 10
| Rank | Title | Distributor |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barbie | Warner |
| 2 | Oppenheimer | Universal |
| 3 | The Super Mario Bros. Movie | Universal |
| 4 | Wonka | Warner |
| 5 | Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse | Sony |
| 6 | Puss in Boots: The Last Wish | Universal |
| 7 | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 | Disney |
| 8 | Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One | Paramount |
| 9 | The Little Mermaid | Disney |
| 10 | Elemental | Disney |
Source: ComScore, Pearl & Dean
Co-Pro Certs
The Irish Government has entered into official co-production arrangements with Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Luxembourg and France. Ireland is also a party to the European Convention on Cinematographic Co-Production. Fís Éireann Screen Ireland is the competent authority in Ireland and is responsible for issuing provisional and final co-production approval.
European Convention
| Project Title | Irish Production Company | Co-Producing Countries |
|---|---|---|
| Christy | Sleeper Films | Ireland, UK |
| Four Letters of Love | Port Pictures | Ireland, UK |
| Hallow Road | Hallow Productions | Ireland, UK, Czech Republic |
| Testimony | Underground Films Commissioning | Ireland, UK |
| No Place Like Home | Inland Films | Ireland, UK, The Netherlands |
| Sisters | Sackville Film and Television Productions | Ireland, UK, Germany |
| Spilt Milk | 925 Productions | Ireland, UK |
| The End | Wild Atlantic | Ireland, UK, Italy, Germany, Denmark |
Canadian Convention
| Project Title | Irish Production Company | Co-Producing Countries |
|---|---|---|
| Ethel | Port Pictures | Ireland, Canada |
| Hidden Assets (Season 2) | Saffron Moon | Ireland, Canada, Belgium |
| Louise Lives Large | Tailored Films | Ireland, Canada, Belgium |
| Man to Dakar | Action Productions (BabyJane Productions) | Ireland, Canada |
| Murder in G Major | Treehouse Media | Ireland, Canada |
| Sharp Corner | Kobalt Films | Ireland, Canada |
New Zealand Convention
| Project Title | Irish Production Company | Co-Producing Countries |
|---|---|---|
| n/a | - | - |
Australian Convention
| Project Title | Irish Production Company | Co-Producing Countries |
|---|---|---|
| Mixtape | Subotica | Ireland, Australia |
| The Surfer | Lovely Productions | Ireland, Australia |
Luxembourg Convention
| Project Title | Irish Production Company | Co-Producing Countries |
|---|---|---|
| Re-Creation | Hell’s Kitchen | Ireland, Luxembourg |
Awards & Nominations
Awards & Nominations 2023
Academy Awards
An Cailín Ciúin
Nominee – 2023 Best International Feature Film
British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs)
An Cailín Ciúin
Nominee – 2023 Best Director, Colm Bairéad
Nominee – 2023 Film Not in the English Language
European Film Awards
A Greyhound of a Girl
Nominee – 2023 European Animated Feature Film
Sitges Film Festival
LOLA
Winner – 2023 Méliès d’or
BAFTA Scotland
My Sailor, My Love
Nominee – 2023 Best Actor, James Cosmo
News & Documentary Emmys
Nothing Compares
Nominee – 2023 Outstanding Writing: Documentary
Nominee – 2023 Outstanding Direction: Documentary
BAFTA Television Craft Awards
The Dry
Nominee – 2023 Writer: Comedy, Nancy Harris
Annie Awards
Karma’s World
Nominee – 2023 Outstanding Achievement for Editorial in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production
Children and Family’s Emmy Awards
Karma’s World
Nominee - 2023 Outstanding Writing for an Animated Program
Major Festival Selections
Sundance Film Festival
Flora and Son, 2023 Official Selection
International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR)
LOLA, 2023 Official Selection
Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale)
A Greyhound of a Girl, 2023 Generation Kplus Official Selection
Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival
Vicky, 2023 Official Selection
Tribeca Film Festival
The Miracle Club, 2023 Spotlight Narrative Official Selection
Regular Rabbit, 2023 Shorts Official Selection
Annecy International Animation Film Festival
Regular Rabbit, 2023 Official Selection
Telluride Film Festival
Baltimore, 2023 Official Selection
Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)
Flora and Son, 2023 Official Selection
BFI London Film Festival
That They May Face The Rising Sun, 2023 Official Selection
Baltimore, 2023 Official Selection
Screen Skills
Screen Skills in Numbers
- 58 skills development programmes delivered directly
- 1,331 total number of attendees
- 17 organisations funded by the Skills Development Events Funding Scheme
- 30 Bursary Awards awarded [13 male awardees, 16 female awardees, & 1 non-binary awardee]
- 21 organisations funded by the Screen Stakeholders Funding Scheme
- 56 Section 481 Skills Development Plans
- 9,136 SafetoCreate Certificates completed in 3 languages – Irish, Brazilian Portuguese and Polish:
- Addressing Unconscious Bias Basic Awareness: 3,201 Certificates
- Tackling Bullying and Harassment at Work: 3,035 Certificates
- Being an Active Bystander in the Arts and Creative Sectors: 2,900 Certificates
Completed from 2023:
- Addressing Microaggressions through Allyship
- Fostering Antiracism in the Screen Sector
- Developing an EDI Policy for your Company/Production
- Sharing of the Intimacy on Set Guidelines with Ita O’Brien
- Wellbeing Co-Ordination Course in partnership with UCC
- Neurodiversity in the Screen Industry in partnership with UCC Creative Development 3-Day Retreat
- 25 mentor and mentee pairings
Pathways Programme, Live Action & Animation
- 50 participants, 17 projects
National Talent & Crew Academies
- 130 initiatives delivered*, 3,783 participants
*roadshows, networking events, attendees at conferences/expos, individual work placements not included
Crew and Services Database (launched February 2023)
- 1,500 registrations to date (February 2025):
- 120 production companies
- 60 facilities & services
Animation Framework (launched Q4 2023)
- 81 roles across 7 departments
- 5 competency areas (Core, Creative, Technical, Leadership, Personal Development)
- 5 levels (New Entrant, Trainee, Experienced, Expert, Leadership/Head of Department)
Skills Development Plan
All applications to the Department of Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport, and the Gaeltacht (“the Department”) for a Section 481 Certificate must include a Skills Development Plan.
For all projects with eligible expenditure in excess of €2million, a copy of the Skills Development Plan is submitted to Screen Ireland for approval.
- 56 Total number of projects
- 584 Total number of skills participants
Number of Productions
Number of Skills Participants
Skills Participants Gender Breakdown
| Overall Gender Breakdown | Total | % |
|---|---|---|
| Male | 237 | 41% |
| Female | 265 | 45% |
| Prefer Not to Say | 29 | 5% |
| Unspecified | 53 | 9% |
| Live Action Gender Breakdown | Total | % |
|---|---|---|
| Male | 171 | 41% |
| Female | 203 | 48% |
| Unspecified | 45 | 11% |
| Animation Gender Breakdown | Total | % |
|---|---|---|
| Male | 66 | 40% |
| Female | 62 | 38% |
| Unspecified | 9 | 17% |
| Prefer Not to Say | 29 | 5% |
| Regional Gender Breakdown | Total | % |
|---|---|---|
| Male | 70 | 49% |
| Female | 57 | 39% |
| Unspecified | 10 | 7% |
| Prefer Not to Say | 7 | 5% |
Diversity & Inclusion Initiatives (Overall)
Diversity & Inclusion Initiatives (Live Action)
Diversity & Inclusion Initiatives (Animation)
Diversity & Inclusion Initiatives (Regional)
Sustainability Initiatives Uptake (Overall)
Sustainability Initiatives Uptake (Live Action)
Sustainability Initiatives Uptake (Animation)
Sustainability Initiatives Uptake (Regional)
Eligible Spend
Industry Data 2023
These figures are derived from Screen Ireland-funded projects and projects availing of Section 481 with budgets* in excess of €2mil.
This estimate represents the majority of activity in the Irish audio-visual sector, however the figure for Documentary may be understated.
| Sum of Eligible Spend | % of Eligible Spend | Projects | % of Projects | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Documentary | € 2,917,430 | 0.89% | 8 | 10% |
| Film Incoming | € 95,607,683 | 28.60% | 18 | 22% |
| Film Indigenous | € 14,924,266 | 4.50% | 8 | 10% |
| Incoming Animation | € 72,030,648 | 21.60% | 15 | 19% |
| Local Animation | € 12,786,464 | 3.80% | 10 | 12% |
| TV Drama Incoming | € 80,513,609 | 24.10% | 11 | 14% |
| TV Drama Indigenous | € 54,671,218 | 16.40% | 11 | 14% |
| Grand Total | € 333,451,318 | 81 |
Project Data
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