Minister John O’Donoghue meets the stars of BECOMING JANE
Minister for Arts Sport and Tourism, John O’Donoghue (TD) last night visited Charleville Forest Castle, Tullamore, Co. Offaly where BECOMING JANE, the latest major feature film to shoot in Ireland, is currently filming.
Directed by Julian Jarrold (Kinky Boots), BECOMING JANE stars Anne Hathaway (Brokeback Mountain), and James McAvoy (Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe) in the lead roles and is shooting in the Dublin, Offaly and Wicklow region. The film co-stars Dame Maggie Smith (the Harry Potter films, Gosford Park) and Julie Walters (Calendar Girls, Billy Elliott). The film is being produced by Graham Broadbent, Douglas Rae, Robert Bernstein and James Flynn.
Written by Kevin Hood and Sarah Williams, the film is inspired by the true events of the little known romance of the young Jane Austen when she falls in love with attractive young Irishman Tom Lefroy. BECOMING JANE presents a fresh and surprising view of the young Jane before she became a writer. It is clear that this was the most romantic experience in Jane's life and a major influence on her work.
BECOMING JANE is a multi-million dollar production with a direct Irish expenditure of c€7.1 million in Irish jobs and local goods and services. The combined number of Irish cast and crew employed on this film is 106 and the number of hotel nights used by the production is approximately 820.
“The Irish economy continues to directly benefit from having major feature films such as BECOMING JANE shoot on location here. As well as the direct benefits to the local economy such as job creation and tourism, it is also important to have images of Ireland screened to international audiences around the world. Encouraging feature films to shoot in Ireland remains a major priority for the Irish Government and we hope that the recent changes to Section 481 will mean that Ireland remains a competitive international location for feature film” said Minister for Arts Sport and Tourism John O’Donoghue (TD).
“BECOMING JANE is one of six feature films currently shooting in Ireland. This is good news for the Irish film industry but in an increasingly competitive and challenging international environment for film production, we cannot get complacent and must continue to monitor our level of competitiveness” said Simon Perry, Chief Executive, Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board.
“We are delighted to be back in Ireland which we have found to be an excellent film-friendly location. We are looking forward to bringing a slate of new projects here over the next year” said Douglas Rae, Producer, Ecosse Films
“Octagon Films are delighted to welcome Minister O’Donoghue to the set of BECOMING JANE. The Minister is to be congratulated both for his continued commitment to the Irish film industry and in particular his outstanding work in helping make this film happen. BECOMING JANE benefited directed from the supplementary funding allocated to the Irish Film Board by the Department of Arts Sport and Tourism at the end of 2005 and this funding contributed to Ecosse films and Blueprint Films decision to re-locate this feature film to Ireland” said James Flynn, Producer, Octagon Films.
Minister O’Donoghue has also introduced new measures to strengthen the tax incentive for film and television productions, improving Ireland’s competitive position as a location for International film production. The new improvements mean that the ceiling on qualifying expenditure for any one film will be increased from €15 million to €35 million.
Octagon Films and Ecosse are also pleased to confirm that two further television dramas have been greenlit for Ireland during the second half of 2006 by British broadcasters. The estimated combined value of these projects is c$12m. In addition, a package of two feature films is at an advanced stage of negotiation with Ecosse and Octagon for the end of 2006 and early 2007 - Twitchers to be directed by Karl Golden and a feature film version of Brideshead Re-visited. The value of these two features will be c$15-20m.
BECOMING JANE is produced by Ecosse Films, makers of the multi-award winning Mrs. Brown, in association with Blueprint Pictures, Octagon Films and Scion Films. The film is financed by Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board, 2Entertain, the UK Film Council, Scion Films and Miramax Films.