As part of today’s budget Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland will have its budget increased to more than €20m in 2019, an increase of more than €2m, or 11% since 2018. The move confirms the government’s commitment to providing Screen Ireland with €200m over a 10 year period.
Screen Ireland, the national development agency for the film, television and animation industry, welcomed the budget increase of €2 million and the extension to Section 481, the Irish tax incentive for the film and television industry, until 2024 announced today by Irish Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaelteacht Josepha Madigan TD. They also welcomed the regional uplift of 5% to Section 481, which will provide additional support for projects filmed across the regions of Ireland for the next four years.
The funding change represents a 14% overall increase, bringing FÉ/SI’s capital budget, which is invested in film, television and animation projects, to €16,202,000 million for 2019. The Department for Culture, Heritage and the Gaelteacht has also allocated €3.84 million to the Screen Ireland administration and training budget.
Earlier this year, Minister Madigan announced the Audiovisual Action Plan, an industry-wide, long-term vision, to support the Government’s ambition to enable Ireland to become a global hub for the creative screen industries. Therefore, we very much welcome this budget increase, as one of the first concrete steps in ensuring that we can implement this vision. This additional funding will ensure that Screen Ireland is in a strong position to support new and established Irish creative talent across film, television and animation production.
Dr. Annie Doona, Chair – Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland
The announcement of €20 million Screen Ireland is hugely positive. SPI has been calling for this increase since 2010. This announcement ensures that Screen Ireland funding returns to pre-crash levels. This is a funding boost for production companies across the country.
SPI called for €20M to be allocated to Screen Ireland in 2019. This announcement will give Screen Ireland and the industry clarity and certainty as to the level of funding that will be able available for investment in projects
Screen Producers Ireland