IFB & IDA announce they will join forces to leverage Oscar success

PRESS RELEASE: Monday 22nd February, 2016:

IFB & IDA collaborate to harness international focus on Ireland, to drive investment and to promote Ireland as a production and innovation destination

With Irish film talent in the running for an unprecedented nine Academy Awards® this Sunday February 28th, Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board and the IDA Ireland are collaborating to leverage the potential opportunities for Ireland in Los Angeles in the next week to further build Ireland’s international reputation as a creative and innovation hub. Delegations from both agencies will undertake a heavy schedule of meetings with US studios, distributors, talent agents, content platforms, film financiers and entertainment technology companies ahead of next weekend’s Oscar Ceremony.

The IFB and IDA have a longstanding,successful track record of working together to attract international productions to Ireland. Both agencies will utilise the backdrop of the success of Ireland at the Academy Awards to highlight Ireland’s leading film talent, to bring international film production and creative technology businesses to Ireland with immeasurable benefits for tourism and the wider economy. Star Wars, Vikings and Penny Dreadful are recent examples of global international hits which are produced in Ireland bringing significant economic benefits to the country and creating opportunities for Irish talent.

James Hickey, Chief Executive of the Irish Film Board said:

“For a country of our size to feature so prominently in the Oscar nominations is unprecedented. It is a watershed moment for Irish film with Brooklyn and Room now achieving global status. The eyes of the film world truly are on us and in Hollywood next week our message will be clear – the Irish film sector is a world player in creativity and technical skills. Ireland is at the nexus of technology and innovation; we can offer international productions access to attractive incentives, unrivalled landscapes, developed infrastructure and a pool of wonderful and experienced creative talent. Our actors, directors, writers, animators and production and post production professionals are technically and creatively pioneering and Ireland offers a range of supports to them as they seek to develop and create ever more ambitious work. The opportunity to work with the IDA opens up additional networks to those we already have and brings further strength to our proposition about the benefits of Ireland and Irish creative talent. “

Martin Shanahan, CEO of the IDA, said that:

“The currency of today's creative industries is skilled talent. Digitisation has disrupted and is driving the industry particularly in the graphics, post production, visual effects, content capture and content distribution areas. Ireland is at the crest of these technology changes and its education system is producing world leading graduates in relevant computer and IT disciplines. Several award winning and leading animation and VE companies have originated from Ireland and the industry is at a critical inflection to build on the recent big and small screen successes. The Irish film sector is estimated to be worth in excess of half a billion in turnover annually. It’s already an important employer in Ireland, and it has significant potential for growth. Government incentives like the Section 481 Tax Credit and Ireland’s open stable corporate tax regime at 12.5% are valuable differentiators when we are promoting Ireland abroad; equally so is our reputation for being a global hub for technology and software talent, and our track record in creativity speaks for itself. The North American market is strategically very important for the Irish film sector - it's a major market for Irish film and also provides essential direct foreign investment in the form of larger US film and TV drama shooting on location in Ireland. We are working with the Irish Film Board to ensure that we maximise every opportunity presented by this unprecedented Irish showing at the Academy Awards.”

The 88th Academy Awards®, recognised as the world’s most influential and high profile film award ceremony, features seven nominations for films supported by the Irish Film Board, and a total of nine nominations for Irish creative talent. It will be televised in 200 countries and watched by an estimated 960 million viewers worldwide.

Irish nominees in the 88th Academy Awards® are as follows:

• Best Picture: Room, Brooklyn

• Best Director: Lenny Abrahamson (Room)

• Best Screenwriter: Emma Donoghue (Room) Nick Hornby (Brooklyn)

• Best Actress: Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn) and Brie Larson (Room)

• Best Actor: Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs)

• Best Short Film (Live Action): Stutterer, Ben Cleary

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