Three brand new Irish TV drama series with international co-production partners will be presented at Content London, in a special Screen Ireland panel dedicated to the rise of Irish TV drama.
Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland is leading an Irish delegation to attend two major industry events in London in the coming weeks – the TV drama festival Content London and Focus London at which the agency will promote Ireland’s regional production hubs. A priority for the Irish delegation at Content London will be to showcase the recent successes of the sector as well as what’s next in the pipeline from Irish creative talent in what is an increasingly global co-production market.
The three productions that will be presented at Content London are:
Northern Lights – An Irish/Belgian co-production, Northern Lights tells the story of two grieving strangers whose worlds collide on a rainy night in Dublin and revelations, confessions, secrets and lies follow. It promises to be intimate and funny, offering a realistic depiction of modern day Dubliners. It will star Stephen Jones and Elva Trill opposite each other, with Jennifer Heylen and Jay Duffy also cast.
Obituary – Already in production in regional production hub, Galway, Obituary is a joint production between APC Studios UK and Irish independent production company Tua Films (aka Magamedia). The dark Irish dark comedy-crime drama stars Irish TV and theatre actress Siobhán Cullen, as Elvira Clancy, an obituarist working at a small-town newspaper, who suddenly finds herself being paid by the obituary due to cuts. When she “accidentally” kills a nasty piece of work, she discovers she might have an untapped bloodlust, and sets her sights on other unpleasant residents of the town. The six-part series is written by Irish scriptwriter Ray Lawlor , directed by John Hayes and produced by Nell Green. Obituary will stream on Hulu in the US and RTÉ in Ireland.
The Liberties – Currently in pre-production, The Liberties, is an Irish/Belgium co-production and executively produced by Laura McNicholas for 925 Productions, Cormac Fox for Vico Films, Peter de Maegd for Potemkino, and Brian Durnin for Greenhorn. It will chronicle the fight for social justice in a Dublin that is under the control of the British Empire in 1815. The cast is to be announced very shortly and it is created by Black ‘47’s Pierce Ryan, Gary Duggan, and Brian Durnin.
Other upcoming Irish TV projects that will be showcased throughout Content London include a case study for Clean Sweep – a dark, edgy drama thriller series from ZDF Studios and Irish production company ShinaWiL – The Vanishing Triangle, a drama series from Virgin Media TV in co-production with AMC Networks’ Sundance Channel US, and Dark House, a mystery series from Underground Films which is a finalist in the C21 International Drama Series Pitch session this year.
Since Screen Ireland introduced development funding for TV drama in 2015, TV drama production spend in Ireland has increased by 145%, demonstrating a clear return on investment and a vibrant sector bringing Irish stories to international audiences. TV drama production spend increased by 40% between 2019 and 2021 alone.
The Irish TV drama sector continues to grow and signal future success after a record-breaking year for production activity in 2021. The global outlook of Irish TV production makes industry events like Content London an excellent opportunity to showcase Irish creative and production talent to the international industry. We are working with the local and international broadcasters and streamers to support collaboration and international partnerships, to produce ambitious, world class TV drama. We’re delighted to showcase what’s in store for Irish TV drama in 2023, as well as celebrate recent successes in our Screen Ireland-supported TV drama slate.
Désirée Finnegan, Chief Executive – Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland
Regional production is an area of continued focus for Screen Ireland, and up to €3.5 million has been ringfenced to support regional activity in 2023. Its National Talent Academies Network, which includes five academies for film, television, animation and crew across the country, is driving the development of skills for the industry around the country.
Representatives from regional offices across the country will attend Focus London, with the support of Screen Ireland, to showcase Irish creative talent and Ireland as a filming location to content makers from more than 100 countries.
Each National Talent Agency covering East, West, and Southern regions in the country and film offices based in Dublin, Limerick and Kerry will attend Focus London. The National Talent Academies network is an initiative of Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland. It includes the National Talent Academy for Film and Television, the National Talent Academy for Animation, and three regional Film & TV Crew Academies. The network has been established to develop a highly-skilled, diverse talent and crew base throughout the country, offering a wide range of activities for the Irish screen industry, including skills development programmes initiatives, work placements and other career opportunities.
Content London takes place from November 28 – December 1 and Focus London takes place from December 6 – 9.