Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board (IFB) welcomes the launch of Creative Ireland, announced today (Thursday 8th December), in the National Gallery of Ireland by An Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD, Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Heather Humphreys TD, and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Paschal Donohoe TD. The five-year (2017 to 2022) all-of-government initiative aims to improve access to cultural and creative activity in every county across the country.
Speaking about the initiative, Chief Executive of IFB, James Hickey said:
We very much welcome the Government’s major cross-governmental initiative and legacy project of Ireland 2016, Creative Ireland and are delighted to see that film, TV drama and animation are an integral part of the programme.
I am excited to explore the opportunities this programme will present in developing young Irish writers, directors, actors and crew to contribute to Ireland’s cultural life, telling Irish stories which are an important part of Irish identity.
Ireland has become a global hub for film, animation and TV drama and we look forward to working with our partner agencies to further develop opportunities in this area, creating more jobs and strengthening Ireland’s reputation as a centre of excellence.”
The initiative is built around the following Five Pillars:
- Enabling the Creative Potential of Every Child
- Enabling Creativity in Every Community
- Investing in our Creative and Cultural Infrastructure
- Ireland as a Centre of Excellence in Media Production
- Unifying our Global Reputation
Key initiatives to be delivered by Creative Ireland in 2017 include an industry-wide, long term plan to develop Ireland as a global hub for film, TV drama and animation as it seeks to empower and support our artists and encourage investment in our cultural institutions; enhancing Ireland’s international reputation.