Creative Europe is a €1.46 billion European Union programme for the cultural and creative sectors for the years 2014-2020. Creative Europe reached its midway point in 2017 and a mid-term review of the Programme is now underway with a report due to be published in early 2018.
Since the launch of the 2014-2020 Creative Europe MEDIA Programme in January 2014, over 60 Irish production companies, Games companies and audiovisual organizations have secured over €6.9 million in funding from Creative Europe MEDIA. Of this almost €1 million (€991,720) has been awarded to companies in the West of Ireland with €275,000 invested in Gaeltacht companies.
14 Irish Companies received Slate Funding Development of €3.26 million in this period with five companies – Element Pictures, Subotica, Treasure Entertainment, Fastnet Films and Crossing the Line – receiving support on two occasions. Films developed with this slate funding include John Butler’s Handsome Devil (Treasure Entertainment); Yorgos Lanthimos’s The Killing of a Sacred Deer (Element Pictures). The strength of the Irish animation sector is clear with 6 of the 14 Slate funding awards going to Animation companies including Cartoon Saloon, Jam Media, Moetion Films and Kavaleer among others.
30 Single projects – films, animations and documentaries – received development funding totaling €1,345,000. Ten Documentaries including the popular Mattress Men and School Life were supported by Single Project funding. 13 films and 7 Animation projects have also received funding since 2014.
The development of 4 Video Games were supported, two from Galway company Tribal City Interactive. Four TV projects – 2 Animation and 2 Documentaries – received TV Programming support of €725,995. This includes the wildlife documentary Cuba’s Wild Revolution from Crossing the Line who have had a phenomenal year in 2017 withWild Ireland receiving the world renowned Grierson award and also the release of the critically acclaimed The Farthest, both of which were MEDIA supported.
The Galway Film Fair market in Galway Film Fleadh received annual support from the Market Access scheme and the mobile App Rangle also received support from this scheme in 2017 bringing the total amount invested to date to€261,750. Screen Training Ireland secured €690,00 in Creative Europe MEDIA funding for the Training ProgrammesScreenleaders and VFX: Script to Screen. Irish Distributors Access Cinema and Wildcard Distribution received Selective Distribution support totaling €50,900.
As we enter the final 3 years of the Creative Europe Programme, we look forward to building on this strong foundation. Discussions on the next Programme (2021-2027) have already begun and the Irish industry will have their say on the content of the future programme through public consultation. We are confident that Irish companies will continue to access this invaluable funding for many years to come.
Orla Clancy, Creative Europe MEDIA Office
We are pleased to note that almost €1 million has been invested in the West of Ireland by Creative Europe MEDIA to date. With the recent launch of a new Regional Fund for the West we are confident that we can build on this success in the final three years of the Programme.
Eibhlín Ní Mhunghaile, MEDIA Office Galway