Applications now being accepted for €2 million Supplementary Production Funding
Bord Scannán na hÉireann / the Irish Film Board (BSÉ/IFB) is delighted to announce that John O'Donoghue T.D., Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, has granted a supplementary funding award of €2 million to the agency, with the aim of ensuring that the increase in international film and television production in Ireland continues through the last quarter of 2006 and the first half of 2007.BSÉ/IFB will be accepting applications for this supplementary funding from 1st September.
The funding, which will be subject to BSÉ/IFB’s normal cultural criteria, will be targeted at high-quality international production that can demonstrate a strong connection to Ireland. Applications will be assessed by reference to:
- Creative Strength of Project
- Track Record of Creative Team
- Irish Employment in All Grades
- favouring projects that can offer employment in lead creative roles including director, key cast, director of photography, production designer, costume designer and editor
- Contribution to Irish Audiovisual Infrastructure
- favouring projects that will utilise studios and post-production facilities
- Spend in the Irish Economy
- favouring projects that will deliver significant economic leverage with other funding including Section 481 TCA 1997 taken into account
Only new feature film and television drama projects will be considered. In order to be eligible, a project must:
- Have the majority of its production finance already confirmed
- Be scheduled to start pre-production before 31st December 2006
- Not already be in receipt of a BSÉ/IFB production loan commitment
Applicants should follow the new submission procedures as published on the BSÉ/IFB website, discussing applications before submission with either the Irish Film Commissioner (Naoise Barry), BSÉ/IFB’s Head of Business Affairs (Teresa McGrane) or its Chief Executive (Simon Perry) and using the new application form for ‘Production Funding - International’ (not Production Funding - Fiction’).
Last year’s supplementary funding award of €1.5 million was invested in projects that had a combined Irish budget spend of €28 million, delivering a leverage rate of 18:1.
Announcing this year’s award, John O’Donoghue, Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, said: “I am pleased to allocate a further €2.3 million, which will bring the total allocation of funding to the Film Board to €19.4 million in 2006, an overall increase of 21% on the 2005 allocation. The government has also introduced significant improvements to the film tax incentive Section 481 this year. As a result of these improvements, we anticipate that film and television in Ireland will generate over €80 million in 2006 alone”.
"The Irish film industry has received unwavering support from Minister O'Donoghue and the Irish Government, resulting in a substantial increase in production levels, high employment and a significant return on government investment in this sector,” said James Morris, Chairman, BSÉ/IFB. “We look forward to identifying major new film and television productions for support throughout the next year," said Simon Perry, Chief Executive, BSÉ/IFB.