{{short description|Irish state development body for film, TV and animation}} {{Multiple issues| {{more citations needed|date=March 2017}} {{advert|date=March 2017}} {{Update|part=History, activities, governance / board, filmography|date=April 2024}} }} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}} {{distinguish|Northern Ireland Screen}} {{Infobox organization | name = Screen Ireland | native_name = Fís Éireann | native_name_lang = ga | logo = Screen Ireland 2021 logo.svg | type = Film, television and animation funding | founded = 1980–87, 1993–present | founder = | location = Galway, Ireland | origins = | region_served = Ireland | focus = | method = | revenue = | endowment = | num_volunteers = | owner = | website = {{URL|www.screenireland.ie}} | tax_exempt = | dissolved = | footnotes = }}
'''Screen Ireland''' ({{langx|ga|Fís Éireann}}), formerly known as '''the Irish Film Board''' ({{langx|ga| Bord Scannán na hÉireann}}), is Ireland's state development agency for the Irish film, television and animation industry. It provides funding for the development, production and distribution of feature films, feature documentaries, short films, TV animation series and TV drama series.
==History== The Irish Film Board (IFB) was established to develop filmmaking in Ireland under the provisions of the Irish Film Board Act 1980. Over the following seven years, it funded or co-funded a total of 10 feature films, including ''Eat the Peach'', ''Anne Devlin'' and ''Angel,'' before its activities were suspended by Taoiseach Charles Haughey.<ref name="screenworkers">{{cite book |last=Murphy |first=Denis |url=https://www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/10.3828/9781802075953 |title=Screen Workers and the Irish Film Industry |date=2024 |publisher=Liverpool University Press |isbn=978-1-80207-595-3 |location=Liverpool|doi=10.3828/9781802075953 |doi-broken-date=1 July 2025 }}</ref> After its closure, the success of several externally funded Irish films, such as ''My Left Foot'', ''The Crying Game'' and ''The Commitments'' motivated local lobbyists to push for its re-establishment, which occurred in 1993. The board was reconstituted under the chairmanship of Lelia Doolan in 1993 by the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, Michael D. Higgins, who said, "The whole reasoning behind my decision to develop the industry by means of a two-pronged approach – namely, the reactivation of the Irish Film Board and my proposals in relation to independent television production contained in the Broadcasting Authority (Amendment) Bill 1993 – is precisely to exploit the technical facilities available in Ireland at present and the imaginative and creative skills which exist in that industry which have been underemployed".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1993-04-29/11/ |title=Minister for Arts, Culture and Gaeltacht, Michael D. Higgins |work=Dáil Debates – Volume 429 |date=29 April 1993}}</ref>
===Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland=== In 2015, Heather Humphreys, the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, announced a decision to change the name of the agency,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/name-of-irish-film-board-to-be-changed-to-screen-ireland-1.2284983|title = Name of Irish Film Board to be changed to Screen Ireland| newspaper=The Irish Times }}</ref> saying that the name change "recognises the body's increasing interests beyond the world of cinema and reminds us how, in this digital age, filmmakers now rarely work in the medium of 'film'."{{citation needed|date=July 2024}} On 10 April 2018, at a press conference for the publication of ''Investing in our Culture, Language and Heritage 2018–2027'' (published as part of Project Ireland 2040), Josepha Madigan, the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, announced that from 18 June 2018, the agency would become known as Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.ie/en/project-ireland-2040|title = Project Ireland 2040| date=19 June 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web| title=Investing in our Culture, Language & Heritage 2018-2027 | url=https://www.chg.gov.ie/app/uploads/2018/04/capital_plan_april3.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180424194836/https://www.chg.gov.ie/app/uploads/2018/04/capital_plan_april3.pdf | archive-date=2018-04-24}}</ref>
===International recognition=== From 1993 to 2004, the organisation supported an indigenous industry which produced over 100 feature films. Irish film talent was recognized internationally and industry collaboration of Irish producers, writers and directors was well underway producing such work as ''Ailsa'' (1993), ''I Went Down'' (1997), ''About Adam'' (1999), ''Disco Pigs'' (2000), ''Bloody Sunday'' (2002), ''Intermission'' (2003), ''The Magdalene Sisters'' (2003), ''Omagh'' (2004), ''Man About Dog'' (2004), ''Adam & Paul'' (2004), ''Breakfast on Pluto'' (2005), ''The Wind that Shakes the Barley'' (2006) ''Once'' (2007), ''Garage'' (2007), ''The Secret of Kells'' (2009), ''His & Hers'' (2009) ''The Guard'' (2011), ''Albert Nobbs'' (2012), ''What Richard Did'' (2012), ''The Stag'' (2014), ''Calvary'' (2014), ''Song of the Sea'' (2014), ''The Lobster'' (2015), ''Brooklyn'' (2015) and ''Room'' (2015).
Notable Irish box office successes for Irish film include ''Intermission'' which grossed over €2 million at the Irish box office in 2003, ''Man About Dog'' which in 2004 grossed over €2.5 million at the Irish box office, ''The Guard'' which grossed over €18 million at the international box office and ''Brooklyn'' which had earned over €2 million at the Irish box office and €11 million at the US box office as of December 2015.{{citation needed|date=February 2022}}
IFB-funded productions featured at major international awards include ''Six Shooter'' (Best Live Action Short Film, Academy Awards 2006), ''The Wind that Shakes the Barley'' (Palme d’Or, Cannes Film Festival 2006), ''Once'' (Best Original Song, Academy Awards 2008), ''The Secret of Kells'' (nominated for Best Animated Feature, Academy Awards 2010), ''Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God'' (Exceptional Merit in documentary Filmmaking, Emmy Awards 2013), ''Song of the Sea'' (nominated for Best Animated Feature, Academy Awards 2015), ''The Lobster'' (Jury Prize, Cannes Film Festival 2015), ''Room'' (People's Choice Award, Toronto International Film Festival 2015), ''The Killing of a Sacred Deer'' and ''The Breadwinner'' (Academy Awards nomination).{{citation needed|date=February 2022}}
===International production=== From 1994 to 2004, there were high levels of international film productions choosing Ireland as a location for filming as a result of the Irish tax incentive for film and television in section 35 of the Finance Act 1987 (later section 481 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997). This film production tax incentive made Ireland more competitive for film production than its international competitors.{{citation needed|date=February 2022}} As a result of the high levels of incoming production into Ireland, the craft and skills base of Irish crews improved, and those crews were then also available to work on Irish films.{{citation needed|date=February 2022}} Major international films shot in Ireland during this period include ''Braveheart'' and ''Reign of Fire''.
In the 21st century Ireland has become the base for a number of high-end international TV dramas including ''The Tudors'' (2007–2010), ''Ripper Street'' (2012–2016), ''Penny Dreadful'' (2014–2016), ''Vikings'' (2013–present), ''Into the Badlands'' (2017–present), and ''Nightflyers'' (2018–present).{{citation needed|date=February 2022}}
===Animation=== The agency did not initially have a policy of funding animation. In 1991, a group of animators and animation students established the ''Anamú Animation Base'', promoting the growth of independent Irish animation. Along with other groups, Anamú successfully lobbied for the film board to support animation projects. From the late 1990s, the film board has provided support to Ireland's animation industry.<ref>{{cite book |last= Bendazzi |first= Giannalberto |date= 2015 |title=Animation: A World History |location= Boca Racton, FL |publisher= CRC Press |page= 91 }}</ref>
===Board=== {{As of|2017}}, the board was chaired by Annie Doona,{{citation needed|date=February 2022}} the president of Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology, where the National Film School is located. At that time, the board also consisted of producer Katie Holly, the managing director of Blinder Films; Larry Bass, founder and CEO of ShinAwil Productions; Mark Fenton, founder and CEO of Masf Consulting; Rachel Lysaght, founder and lead creative producer of Underground Films; Kate McColgan, producer and managing director of Calico Productions and Marian Quinn, writer, director and founder of Janey Pictures.{{citation needed|date=February 2022}}
In 2021 the Board consisted of Susan Bergin (Chair Designate), Zelie Asava, John McDonnell, Ray Harman, Eoin Holohan, Marian Quinn, and Kate McColgan.<ref>{{cite web |title=New Board of Screen Ireland |url=https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/27b0a-new-board-of-screen-ireland/ |website=Gov.ie |publisher=Government of Ireland |access-date=22 January 2025}}</ref> In 2024 Susan Bergin resigned and Ray Harman assumed the role of Chairperson of the Board, with Catherine Magee as a new appointee to the board and Désirée Finnegan having a five year contract extension.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fís Éireann / Screen Ireland appointments announced |url=https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/20e11-fis-eireann-screen-ireland-appointments-announced/ |website=Gov.ie |publisher=Government of Ireland |access-date=22 January 2025}}</ref>
In 2025 Screen Ireland hired Kate McColgan as its Head of Television; which includes being responsible for the management of the Screen Ireland slate across television and animation series, from development to production.<ref>{{cite web |title=Screen Ireland Hires Former Element Pictures Exec As Head Of Television |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news/screen-ireland-hires-former-element-pictures-exec-as-head-of-television/ar-BB1rewOu?ocid=BingNewsSerp |website=MSN |access-date=22 January 2025}}</ref>
==Funding== Screen Ireland operates under the aegis of Department of Culture, Communications and Sport. Its annual budget is decided by Dáil Éireann and it has a budget of €39.2m for 2024, €1.5m more than its budget in 2023.<ref>{{Cite news |date=11 Oct 2023 |title=Screen Ireland receives annual budget boost of €1.5m |url=https://www.screendaily.com/news/screen-ireland-receives-annual-budget-boost-of-15m/5186822.article#:~:text=Screen%20Ireland's%20total%20budget%20for,marketing%20and%20other%20administrative%20costs. |access-date=13 Jul 2024 |work=Screendaily}}</ref> Screen Ireland provides funds for the development, production and distribution of feature films, feature documentaries, short films, TV animation series and TV drama series.<ref>{{cite web |title=Screen Ireland announces slate of 2024 film and tv projects |url=https://www.irishcentral.com/culture/entertainment/screen-ireland-announces-slate-of-2024-film-and-tv-projects |website=Irish Central |date=28 January 2024 |access-date=22 January 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Screen Ireland announces film and TV projects for 2024 |url=https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2024/0124/1428203-screen-ireland-announces-film-and-tv-projects-for-2024/ |website=RTE |date=24 January 2024 |access-date=22 January 2025}}</ref>
==Selected filmography== * ''Beckett on Film'' * ''Never Grow Old'' * ''She's Missing'' * ''Black 47'' * ''The Killing of a Sacred Deer'' * ''The Breadwinner'' * ''Wolfwalkers'' * ''The Man Who Invented Christmas'' * ''Sing Street'' * ''Room'' * ''Brooklyn'' * ''The Lobster'' * ''What Richard Did'' * ''Song of the Sea'' * ''The Hardy Bucks Movie'' * ''Calvary'' * ''The Wind That Shakes the Barley'' * ''Once'' * ''Parked'' * ''What If'' * ''The Guard (2011)'' * ''The Last Days on Mars'' (2013) * ''Stitches'' * ''Niko & The Way to the Stars'' * ''32A''; funding * ''Between the Canals'' * ''Inside I'm Dancing'' * ''Wake Wood'' * ''Outcast'' * ''The Revolution Will Not Be Televised''; funding * ''The Secret of Kells'' * ''Grabbers'' * ''All You Need Is Death''
==See also==
*Cinema of Ireland *Television in the Republic of Ireland *List of Irish films
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[https://www.screenireland.ie/ Official Website] *[https://www.imdb.com/company/co0091878/ Irish Filmboard at IMDb]
{{Authority control}}
Category:Irish animation studios Category:Film finance Category:Film organisations in Ireland Category:State-owned film companies Category:1980 establishments in Ireland Category:Peabody Award winners Category:Organizations established in 1980 Category:Screen Ireland films Category:Department of Culture, Communications and Sport