It’s beautiful small island take on might of Hollywood
CARNEY HAILS MOVIE SUCCESSES
A HOST of local talent was on hand to hear the new slate of Irish TV shows and films coming our way, including Eve Hewson and Oscar winner John Carney’s new movie Flora and Son.
Speaking about working on the flick, which had its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, Eve said: “It’s been so special working on an Irish character with Irish writers and Irish directors and just getting to be at home is such a different feeling. ”
But she joked that despite Flora and Son’s early success, in which she plays a single mum, she is still living at home with her parents – U2 frontman Bono and Ali Hewson.
Speaking at the launch of the new slate at Screen Ireland in Dublin, John said: “It’s beautiful to see a small island nation come up against the giant of Hollywood through years of seeding and financing talent.
“To see our actors, directors, writers and producers accepted and celebrated overseas in numerous festivals, theatres and awards is a testament to arts funding, and would be next to impossible without support and cultivation of talent.
Support
“In the film business, particularly, be wary of anyone who tells you they’ve done it on their own. It’s an art form that is simply impossible without generous support.”
Charlene McKenna, who stars in RTE’s upcoming Clean Sweep, also discussed her voice role in animated feature film A Greyhound of a Girl, based on the short story from Roddy Doyle.
She said: “I love this film. It’s based on Roddy Doyle’s book of the same name. We did it in 2018 but because of Covid, we had several setbacks. It’s very sad but it’s a very fun take on the sadness and it’s just gorgeous.”
She added: “I play a ghost, which is weird because the first thing in my professional career I ever played was a ghost.”
The movie will premiere at the Berlinale Film Festival later this month in the same slot that An Cailin Ciuin previously had.
At the launch, actor and emerging writer/director Eva Birthistle discussed her debut feature film, Kathleen, which begins production next month.
Eva, who was awarded development funding for the project before going into production, said: “It’s an incredibly exciting time for Irish film.”
She added: “Only for Screen Ireland’s continued support over the last few years, my move from actor to director has been made possible, highlighting how critical it is for the industry that we have a national agency that can support talent through every stage of their career.” Documentary highlights at the launch include Gar O’Rourke’s Ukraine-set Sanatorium, while upcoming animated TV series include new episodes of Atom Town, a STEM educational children’s series based on the periodic table.
TV dramas coming in 2023 to the small screen include The Dry, which will premiere in March on RTE, Clean Sweep, which is due later this year, and series two of Kin and three of Smother.
According to Screen Ireland, production spend in the Irish economy hit a record high in 2021, particularly due to things cranking up again after the Covid-19 lockdowns.
It recorded a spend of €361,487million, which was driven by Irish and international productions. This was an increase of €4million from 2019.
And 2022 saw more than 3,500 skills development placements across Section 481 (the film tax credit) training, courses and other skills development initiatives, including mentorships.
Talent
In order to target talent and skills outside of Dublin and Wicklow, the Regional Support Fund has been set up to support regional activity.
The fund is targeted at crew members across all grades, including new entrants. Screen Ireland said it will also require commitments in the areas of diversity and inclusion, sustainable production and on-set initiatives, with €3.5million ringfenced from the 2023 budget.
The body also noted that 47 per cent of local Irish feature film and TV drama in its 2023 slate were produced or filmed on location in regional areas, including Donegal, Limerick, Clare, Galway and Mayo.
And it was confirmed that funding will be available for all ScreenIreland-supported productions to engage a sustainability adviser in addition to the requirement for productions here to document their carbon footprints.
Meanwhile, one of the guests at
yesterday’s Screen Ireland event was Dave Reid, the founder of Minding Creative Minds.
He spoke about new supports that are available for people working in the screen industry (under funding provided by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media) through his organisation. This includes mental health supports such as weekly counselling sessions for a period of 12 weeks, and legal, financial and career advice.
Desiree Finnegan, chief executive of Fis Eireann/Screen Ireland, said the slate’s wide scope of productions is “a testament to all the creative talent that worked on them”.
Susan Bergin, chair of Fis Eireann/ Screen Ireland, added that their focus is on sustainable growth of the industry into the future.
“That involves prioritising regional activity, continuing to drive skills development, and creating a supportive and inclusive industry through initiatives such as Minding
Creative Minds,”
Ms Bergin said.