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O’Donoghue Announces LASSIE Film Will Shoot in Ireland

International production starring “the world’s most famous dog” begins principal photography this spring Minister leads Irish Film Board trade mission to key US Studios

Minister for Arts, Sport & Tourism, John O’Donoghue announced today that the US and UK producers of the new LASSIE feature film have selected Ireland as a prime filming destination. This new LASSIE movie is a retelling of Eric Knight’s best-selling 1938 novel, “Lassie Come Home.”

Minister O’Donoghue has been leading an Irish Film Board delegation to the US to meet with high ranking film executives at the major studios. As part of this fact finding mission, Minister O’Donoghue met today with Classic Media in New York who are the US producers of the new LASSIE film. Cameras are expected to roll in Ireland beginning this April. Further filming will take place on the Isle of Man, in association with the Isle of Man Film Commission.

“I am delighted that Classic Media and Firstsight Films have chosen Ireland. It demonstrates again the importance of our tax incentive Section 481 which has been extended and enhanced and demonstrates the Government’s ongoing commitment to the Irish film industry,” said Minister O’Donoghue.

Lassie is one of entertainment’s most successful franchises with ten feature films and more than 675 half-hour TV episodes to her credit. The original LASSIE movie was followed by a series of sequels with Hollywood legends Elizabeth Taylor, Mickey Rooney, Roddy McDowell and Jimmy Stewart. Lassie’s two-time Emmy Award-winning TV series is one of the longest running programmes in television history and has been seen in more than 50 countries around the world.

“Today’s announcement reinforces the Irish Film Board’s focus on ensuring Ireland retains its reputation as a premier filming destination,” said Irish Film Board CEO Mark Woods. “The Film Board’s Location Services unit is dedicated to promoting the climate of certainty for the inward production sector provided by the Irish government.”

Firstsight Films, the award-winning independent producer of “Shackleton,” and Ireland’s Element Films, producers of “Omagh” and “The Magdalene Sisters” will produce the LASSIE feature film along with Classic Media, the New York-based family entertainment company that is home to Underdog and The Lone Ranger. Firstsight’s BAFTA winning co-founder, Charles Sturridge will direct the new screenplay he has written based on the classic “Lassie Come Home” novel. Steve Christian will executive produce for the Isle of Man.

Eric Ellenbogen, Classic Media Chairman and CEO added, “We are very excited to begin shooting the new Lassie movie in Ireland. The country’s lush green landscape and rolling hills provide the perfect backdrop for Lassie’s epic film journey. It is a pleasure to work with Element Films, an emerging talent in the global film industry.”

The Irish producer on LASSIE will be production company Element Films. Producer Ed Guiney was present at today’s announcement in New York and gave his reaction, “This is good news for Ireland and is a good start to 2005 for the Irish film industry. We have great locations, excellent crews and an enhanced tax incentive. This, coupled with the efforts of the Irish Film Board, means we can effectively market ourselves to the US filmmaking community and continue to attract overseas productions.”

Earlier this week, Minister O’Donoghue held a series of meetings with top executives at the major US film studios, including Warner Bros, Fox, Disney and Paramount.

“This fact-finding mission has been a highly productive eye-opener in understanding the requirements of the key studio decision makers in the highly competitive inward international production sector”, said Minister O’Donoghue. “Such missions together with the ongoing efforts of the Irish Film Board deepen our relationships with these decision makers to facilitate future overseas investment in our film industry.”

About Classic Media
Classic Media manages some of the world’s most recognisable family properties across all media including feature film, television, home video and consumer products. The company’s extensive library features a diverse collection of popular animated and live-action characters such as: Casper the Friendly Ghost, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, The Lone Ranger, Lassie, Underdog and Rocky & Bullwinkle.

Classic Media is currently developing a live-action/CGI UNDERDOG feature film with Spyglass Entertainment, a live-action/CGI SHERMAN & PEABODY project with Sproketdyne Entertainment and a live-action THE LONE RANGER movie with Columbia Pictures and Academy Award-winning producers Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher (GLADIATOR, STUART LITTLE) through their Sony-based Red Wagon Productions.

About Firstsight Films
Firstsight Films, set up by Charles Sturridge and producers Selwyn Roberts and Francesca Barra, produced the BAFTA award-winning “Shackleton,” starring Kenneth Branagh, and is currently developing projects with HBO Films and the British Film Council. Their first documentary feature “Andrew and Jeremy Get Married” directed by Don Boyd was selected for the 2004 Toronto Film Festival.

About Element Films
Element Films, founded in 2001 by Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe, is the Dublin based production company behind award winning films such as OMAGH, THE MAGDALENE SISTERS, as well as the forthcoming BOY EATS GIRL starring Samantha Mumba. Element Films was the Irish co-producer on recently wrapped ISOLATION, which was financed by Film Four, the Irish Film Board and international sales agent Lions Gate. Through its sister company Hell's Kitchen International, the company recently co-produced THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEMAN-APOCALYPSE for Universal Pictures and Film Four which is to receive a general release through UIP in the UK and Ireland on the 22nd April 2005.