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#Industry: Irish Film Board announces two new project managers

Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board (IFB) has announced the appointment of current Creative England senior film executive Celine Haddad and development executive and script editor Dearbhla Regan to the IFB’s Production and Development team, in the role of Project Managers.

In this role, the pair will manage part of the slate of IFB supported projects across all genres from the initial development stage right through production financing, to the market exploitation of these projects. They join current project manager Lesley McKimm, who was appointed last September. They replace outgoing project managers Keith Potter and Mary Callery.

Haddad’s experience at Creative England has seen her work on numerous film, including God’s Own Country, Jawbone, Fly Away and Fanny Lye Delivered. She has accumulated over 20 years of experience working in the film industry in England, France and the US, working for a number of large industry companies, including ICM, Pathe Pictures, and Passion Pictures.

Regan has long experience in the Irish film industry as a development producer and script editor. Her most recent script editor credits include My Name Is Emily, The Lodgers, The Legend Of Longwood and The Drummer And The Keeper. Recently she has worked as a creative consultant with Screen Training Ireland. She has worked as an editor on a large number of Irish feature films and regularly delivers reader reports to funding bodies and production companies. She has also worked as a consultant at IADT, The Galway Film School, and STI.

Chief Executive of the Irish Film Board, James Hickey commented:

Celine and Dearbhla will bring a wealth of creative experience to the Irish Film Board’s production and development team. I am confident their experience will particularly benefit Irish writers, directors and producers working across film, TV drama and animation. I’m delighted to welcome them both to the team as we work together to invest in creative talent, build on the current success of the industry and achieve our key goals as outlined in the recent IFB five-year strategic plan.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank outgoing project managers Keith Potter and Mary Callery for their hard work and dedication over the last four years, which has been a particularly successful period for the Irish film industry.

Commenting on her appointment, Dearbhla Regan said:

This is a fantastic time to be joining the team at the Irish Film Board and I’m delighted to do so. Coming from a script and development background, I hope I understand the unique challenges involved in getting projects screen ready. I’m looking forward to the process and to working both new and established creative talent.

Celine Haddad added:

I am delighted to be joining the Irish Film Board, an organisation whose work I have admired for a long time. I cannot wait to meet the team in Ireland and to get started with supporting the Irish film industry.