Screen Ireland has announced new stimulus measures to help alleviate the "devastating impact" of Covid-19 on the Irish film and television industry.
They include a €2 million boost to its strategic slate development fund which gives production companies money to pursue film and television projects in their early stages.
This slate funding, regarded as the screen industry’s equivalent of R&D, had been reintroduced for the first time since the recession earlier this year with a budget of €1 million, but it will now be allocated up to €3 million from Screen Ireland’s capital budget of €17.2 million.
The money will be made available to successful applicants “as quickly as possible” and over a shortened timeframe of one year to address cashflow issues in the industry.
A separate €1 million in enhanced development supports for feature film, television and animation has been set up, with 90 per cent of the funding available upfront for successful applicants.
Stricken production companies can also avail of a €150,000 scheme if they need to hire a financial consultant, with funding of up to €5,000 per company available for this purpose.
With film and television production at a halt due to Covid-19 restrictions, Screen Ireland will give more weight than usual to development funding this year, though it anticipates “increased need” for production funding in 2021.
Recovery planning
The aim is to help production companies develop a strong slate of projects so that the industry is as well-placed as possible to scale-up production activity when the crisis is over.
“Our key priority is to support the sector during this critical time, to ensure that Irish creative screen talent can continue to play a key role within Irish cultural life and make a critical contribution to rebuilding the economy when this crisis is over,” Screen Ireland said.
The measures, which also include a range of skills development schemes and new supports aimed directly at screenwriters and directors, build on a number of initial moves flagged in March.
“We recognise that there is much more to be done, and are continuously working with industry partners and stakeholders to help mitigate the impact of this crisis on our industry.”
