Sales deals and success for Irish film at the Marché du Film and Cannes Film Festival this year
Posted: 26th May 2024
With a strong presence for Irish film and the Irish screen industry across the Cannes Film Festival, this weekend saw two Irish films awarded at the festival’s closing ceremony. Kinds of Kindness received Best Actor for Jesse Plemons’ performance, and On Becoming A Guinea Fowl director Rungano Nyoni scooped Best Director in the Un Certain Regard competition. Both films were produced by Irish production company Element Pictures.
Sales deals and new projects were announced for Screen Ireland-supported films across the market this year, including a Studiocanal acquisition for the UK and Ireland rights to Irish-produced The Apprentice. Strong reviews marked the World Premieres of Irish director Lorcan Finnegan’s The Surfer, which received a four star review from The Guardian and Screen Ireland-supported film September Says, with Screen International calling the latter “arresting” and “enrapturing”.
Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin T.D., attended the Marché du Film on Friday 17th to meet with international industry stakeholders from the United Kingdom, Australia and France – and to highlight Ireland and France’s recent film co-production partnership.
Screen Ireland’s presence at Cannes is key to promoting Irish film projects, Ireland’s tax incentives and facilities for international production, and the Irish Pavilion promoted over 20 projects actively selling in the marketplace, as well as many more coming to market in the coming months.
Most crucially it highlights Ireland’s filmmaking talent itself – which is a core element of the country’s attraction for co-producers. Producer on the Move, for example, is a European partnership to highlight the most dynamic emerging producers from across Europe, led by European Film Promotion (EFP), of which Ireland is a member country. Ireland’s Producer on the Move this year is Evan Horan, a producer at film and TV production company Keeper Pictures.
This year, the agency hosted events to forge and develop new partnerships for Irish producers, with varying aims ranging from introducing new and emerging filmmakers to the business of the Marché du Film, reinforcing Ireland's existing co-production partnerships, promoting the France/Ireland Co-Production Agreement, and encouraging new opportunities for Ireland with countries like Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
Other initiatives across the Irish industry received recognition at the Global Production Awards: a Screen International-sponsored ceremony that took place during the festival to anoint the best locations around the world, the standout studio facilities, creative crews and ideas, and what the very best locations and commissions can offer international and local productions. Limerick-based Fresh Film received the Community Impact Award, given to an organisation that best demonstrated commitment to the local community during filming. A registered charity, Fresh Film is an organisation dedicated to inspiring, nurturing and celebrating excellence in young people’s filmmaking. The centrepiece of its activities is the Fresh International Film Festival, which includes Ireland’s young filmmaker of the year awards. The festival is supported by Screen Ireland.
Five Irish films received their World Premiere across the Cannes Film Festival programme this year: an unprecedented number for Irish film at one of the world’s most prestigious film festivals.