IFB leads delegation of Irish producers to LA to promote Ireland and improvements to S481
The IFB led a delegation of Irish producers to Los Angeles in June, to meet US producers, promote improvements to S481 and Ireland as a film location. The IFB delegation which included Irish producers from companies Element Pictures, Epos Films, Treasure Entertainment, Octagon Films and World 2000 Entertainment all attended the inaugural "Produced By" conference, hosted by the Producers Guild of America at Sony Pictures Studios.
The IFB also took a booth at the PGA event, under the Ireland on Screen banner, where IFB staff and Irish producers met with delegates advocating Ireland as an international film location.
The event, the first such conference organized by the PGA, drew more than 750 US producers to the Sony lot. The two-day gathering covered a variety of issues for producers, including film finance, distribution, new technologies (including 3D production), music licensing, the role of the creative producer and sales and marketing. James Flynn of Octagon Films spoke for Ireland on a panel discussing international co-production, and its importance to US filmmakers.
In tandem with the PGA conference, the IFB coordinated meetings for the Irish producer delegation. The agency also undertook a number of meetings with leading US producers to promote the recent improvements to Section 481 and continue dialogue on a wide variety of US projects in development that the IFB, working closely with Irish producers, hope to bring to Ireland.
Donal Geraghty of Treasure Entertainment said, "Treasure completed a week of constructive meetings in LA, and the reaction to improved S481 is very positive amongst US indie producers. The PGA conference was a great networking opportunity, with panel discussions that provided insight in to an industry facing real challenges"
The US film industry faces significant challenges, presented by the international recession and the credit crunch. Accessing film finance is more difficult than ever, and US producer feedback made emphasized the importance that Ireland retain a competitive edge in order to benefit from US investment.
Go to http://www.producedbyconference.com/ to find out more about this years conference. Contact naoise.barry@irishfilmboard.ie to find out about IFB events in Los Angeles in 2009-2010.