Budget 2025: Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland welcomes increase of agency's total budget to €40.85 million for the first time
Posted: 2nd October 2024
Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland would like to thank Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin T.D., for her steadfast support for the Irish screen industry, following today’s announcement of a 3.3% increase to the agency’s total 2025 budget. This brings Screen Ireland funding levels to €40.85 million for the first time.
Minister Martin's continued support and recognition of the Irish screen industry over the last number of years has had a transformational impact and continues to be instrumental in the creation of new opportunities and the future growth of the industry.
Yesterday, Minister for Finance Jack Chambers T.D. announced that Section 481, the Irish film and television tax incentive, is to receive an 8% uplift for productions with a global budget under €20 million. This is a move that will particularly support diverse Irish storytelling and artistic, low to medium-budget filmmaking.
With an international wave of cultural acclaim for Irish storytelling on screen, the Irish screen industry’s reputation has risen to new heights on the world’s stage. This has been marked by a surge of new voices and emerging talent – as well as a new era for Irish-language film.
Screen Ireland has continued to drive opportunities to support and develop all areas of the creative screen industry, with a particular emphasis on increasing the spread of opportunities across the country. In 2023, the agency oversaw 43 separate funding schemes across - development, production, sustainability, marketing, distribution and audience development. Ensuring that new talent is nurtured and supported is a key focus. In 2023, 38% of 2023 projects funded by Screen Ireland were led by first or second-time filmmakers.
2023 also saw a total of more than 5,000 skills development placements across Screen Ireland’s National Talent Academy network activity, Section 481 skills development, course attendees and other initiatives, including mentorships and shadow directing.
2024 is now seeing the achievement of more milestones, and the global reach of Irish cinema is continuing around the world: with Kneecap, the first ever Irish language film to be selected for the Sundance Film Festival; Small Things Like These becoming the first ever Irish film to open the Berlin International Film Festival; five Irish films premiering in one year at the Cannes Film Festival; and the agency’s expansion into digital games with IndieDev, a cross-border games prototype fund – the first of its kind on the island of Ireland.