The Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Heather Humphreys TD, has today (Monday) announced that she has approved an additional €1.1 million in funding for the Irish Film Board. The end of year funding is being made available from within the Department’s 2016 Budget.
Speaking today Minister Humphreys said:
I am pleased to be in a position to approve this additional funding for the Irish Film Board, which will allow the IFB to provide extra support to Irish film makers. It will bring to €15.5 million the total amount of funding provided to the IFB by my Department this year.
Investment in the Irish Film Board produces excellent results. Just last week, two films which were funded by the Film Board were nominated for Golden Globes. Continued investment in Irish film makers over a sustained period is very important if we want to continue to produce world class talent and output.
The Government is committed to supporting the Irish film sector. I recently commissioned an economic analysis of the screen based industries, which should give us a clearer picture of the scale and impact of the Irish audiovisual sector. The film industry also forms an essential pillar of the Government’s Creative Ireland programme, which aims to make Irish a centre of excellence for global media production.
As the economy continues to improve, it is my hope that I can continue to increase investment and support for Ireland’s vibrant film, TV and animation sector.”