A SCREEN Commission for Ireland was announced yesterday by the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, Mr Higgins. The commission will have a staff of three and "will operate as a professional `one stop shop' for film producers to locate in Ireland", he said.
The commission will market Ireland as a quality location by means of an extensive database of locations, facilities and production skills and personnel in the State; through attendance at major film markets abroad; and direct contacts with film producers who are interested in filming in Ireland.
"Screen commissions are now a feature of every country's film infrastructures, with separate commissions in existence, for example, in virtually all of the states of the United Sates, in England, Scotland and Wales and, only recently, in Northern Ireland. So to compete with these entities, we must have a dedicated entity ourselves," Mr Higgins said.
The announcement was welcomed by Mr Louis Marcus, chairman of Bord Scannan na hEireann. "It is the last vital piece in the comprehensive infrastructure which has been put in place over the past four years," he said. "Its establishment is essential and has long been an aspiration of the Irish film industry."
Bord Scannan has appointed eight members to the commission which will be chaired by Ms Mary Leonard, director of KPMG Corporate Finance and a member of the boards of Forbairt and the Film Institute of Ireland.
The commission will have an annual budget of £150,000, Ms Leonard told The Irish Times and will have £50,000 towards setting up costs. "We would expect significant sponsorship from the private sector for individual projects which the commission will undertake," she said.
The other members of the commission are Mr Pat Cleary, director, Deloitte and Touche; Mr David Collins, independent film producer; Mr James Flynn, out going business manager of Bord Scannan and independent producer; Mr Brian Garvan, manager, International Services Division, IDA Ireland; Mr Tommy McCabe, director, Audiovisual Federation, IBEC; Ms Laura Magahy, managing director, Temple Bar Properties; and Ms Ann O'Connell, director, Coopers and Lybrand, and a member of Bord Scannan.
At the same function yesterday, Mr Higgins and the Australian ambassador, Mr Edward Stevens, signed a coproduction agreement between Ireland and Australia.
The Minister said the principal objective was to enable Australian participation in Irish based films to enjoy all the benefits accorded to their Irish counterparts under Irish law, and reciprocal arrangements for Irish participation in Australian based productions.
The first production to benefit is likely to be Kings in Green Castles, a major Irish Australian series on the Famine.
Asked if he would like to retain his ministry if returned to power, Mr Higgins said that he would. "It's a ministry that I got a huge enjoyment out of, doing so many new things," he said.