Additional 12,000 staff to enter film, TV, and animation production by 2024
‘Challenge is to develop indigenous sector’ after international success, writes
EMPLOYMENT in the film, television, and animation production in Ireland is set to double to more than 24,000 people over the next five years, the head of Screen Ireland has said.
The former Irish Film Board has also announced new requirements around dignity in the workplace, gender balance, and bullying and harassment, for those seeking funding.
Around €16.2m worth of government funding has been provided to the development agency this year, up from €14.2m in 2018.
Screen Ireland chief executive James Hickey said that the extension of the Section 481 tax incentive and continued government support to the sector has created a steady landscape for the industry. “Currently, the revenue commissioners will pay to production companies, 32pc of eligible expenditure by the production company in connection with the production of a film, TV drama, TV animation,” he told the Sunday Independent.
“The extension of section 481, which the Government committed to in October’s budget, was the first thing on the agenda for the industry. On a business basis, this provides a secure environment for the future development of the sector.”
The tax incentive allows both indigenous and overseas film companies producing works in Ireland to claim back a significant level of the costs incurred. It was due to expire at the end of this year, but Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe extended it to 2024.
Hickey said the incentive’s extension will allow for sizeable jobs growth in the industry over the coming years. “We’re looking at doubling the number of people involved in film, television, and animation production over the next five years,” he said. “From the period of 2008 and 2016, it was doubled from about 5,500 to about 12,000.
“We look forward to doubling that to more than 24,000 five years from now.”
Last year, Screen Ireland invested €13.7m into 50 projects, including 21 feature films.
One such investment was made into Black 47, a box office success based around the Irish famine. The development agency’s backing has also supported six films, which are due to appear before the Sundance Film Festival this year.
Screen Ireland’s chairman Annie Doona said that the group was calling on those that receive funding to “ensure they’re committed to providing a safe working environment, free from bullying, harassment, and any forms of intimidation”.
IRELAND’S homegrown television drama industry is under pressure. On the one hand, a number of international TV shows are produced here, from Vikings to Penny Dreadful to Netflix’s upcoming Nightflyers.
On the other hand, the indigenous, homegrown sector is still feeling the effects of an economic crisis that put severe strain on the country’s broadcasters.
While more and more mega-budget shows and films make their way to the island of Ireland, small screen homegrown drama has found it difficult to break through.
Screen Ireland, formerly the Irish Film Board, changed its name to show that it represented more than just movies. The development agency’s outgoing chief executive James Hickey said there were difficulties for Irish television drama.
“We are involved in major international TV dramas. The challenge has been to develop the indigenous TV drama sector and that’s where we’re now working closely with the broadcasters,” he said. “It is an area, which somewhere during the bad times, lost its way. We need to renew the commitment to indigenous TV drama production.”
Hickey said that the agency has been working closely with the likes of RTE and Virgin Media. He maintains that it is more important to develop a sustainable relationship with the broadcasters rather than to produce a one-off hit show like Love/Hate.
“The public service broadcasters had suffered as a result of the very significant challenges they faced, and reduced their commitment to TV drama during the last eight to 10 years. There is a willingness to reverse that,” he said.
Outside of the revival of TV drama, Screen Ireland is also liaising with numerous parties to increase the level of studio space available to the country’s creatives. Issues around state-aid rules mean that funding such a project is more complex. The organisation is in conversations with the owners of existing studios in relation to expansion, but Hickey said that entirely new studio space is also being explored. He said that any investment into studio infrastructure must be made through the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (Isif ).
Isif is an €8.9bn government-controlled fund tasked with investing on behalf of the country on a commercial basis, as well as to support economic activity. “The best I can say is that we’re working with a number of people in relation both the expansion of existing sites and potential new developments,” Hickey said.
“There is a huge demand for studio space. We are trying to deal with the demand by adding to the supply. There are lots of propositions out there.”
Annie Doona, the chairman of Screen Ireland, also outlined the agency’s plans to introduce commitments from those claiming money. Production businesses that seek investment from Screen Ireland will also need to make commitments around dignity in the workplace as well as bullying and harassment. “It’s about saying the industry has to change and I think there’s a business case for that,” she said.