Irish Fim Board initiates new five year strategic plan

Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board (IFB) Chairman Bill O’Herlihy, together with the IFB Board, today announced their intention to undertake a new five year strategic plan, focused on the future direction of Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board.

The first stage of putting this strategic plan in place will be to begin a review of the aims, visions and goals of Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board, so that a new strategic vision can be created which will best deliver on Government policy across the development of Irish filmmaking and the film, television and animation industries.

Commenting on the announcement today Bill O’Herlihy, Chairman, Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board said: “We intend to put in place a new five year strategy for the IFB. This will be a comprehensive strategic plan which will focus on the future goals for the agency itself, and the outcomes the IFB will deliver for the industry. Therefore we will include a wide and detailed consultation with key industry stakeholders and the organisations representing Irish producers, writers, directors, cast and crew and the animation sector, which will begin immediately.”

The consultation with the industry stakeholders will be structured around interviews, focus groups, and an on-line questionnaire, all of which will be focused around a number of key questions which will interrogate the role and future direction of the agency.

The overall strategic plan, the development of the key questions and the industry consultation will be carried out with appointed independent consultants, Crowe Horwath.

This strategic review follows on from the Creative Capital Report which was a review of the overall industry published by the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in 2011. Based on figures in the PWC Report of 2008 of a turnover of €550m in the audiovisual production sector in Ireland and 5440 full time equivalent jobs, the Creative Capital Report, projected a growth in turnover to over €1 billion and in jobs to over 10,000 over a five year period.

It is expected that the new strategy document for Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board will be published in early 2015.