Projects granted investment to generate more than €4m spend across the West of Ireland

WRAP Fund announces ten projects in receipt of support Feature films, animations, television dramas and documentaries awarded investment.

A €2,000,000 regional fund set up to encourage the film, television drama, animation and gaming sectors in the West of Ireland is today announcing the projects which have received offers of support since it was announced at the end of 2017.TheWesternRegionAudiovisualProducer’s Fund (WRAP Fund) is a unique initiative of the Western Development Commission (WDC) and the Galway Film Centre and was set up to stimulate the industry in the western region. Its aim is to support local talent and increase the economic impact of the industry in the region. Run in association with the local authorities of Clare, Donegal, Galway City, Galway County, Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo as well as Údarás na Gaeltachta, WRAP will ensure investment in the sector until 2020.

The WRAP Fund is also the only project funding in the Republic of Ireland which is open to the games sector. The deadline for applications for funding in the games sector was March 8, 2019 and an announcement of the games funded will follow once they are selected.

As part of itsproduction investment, WRAP has supported five projects to date including three feature films, one animated feature and one documentary which will undertake production across the West, creating opportunities for local talent.

It is anticipated that the projects backed by WRAP funding so far will generate in excess of €4m spend in the region generating a significant return of investment of 8:1.

The newly-announced projects are:

• Death of A Ladies Man,by Cohen Productions DAC/Port Pictures, which will start shooting across Galway in late May
• Ooops! Back In The Deep End,an animated feature by Moetion Films which is in production in Galway City
• Screamers,a documentary by Dot Television and Marcie Films, which is in pre-production and will be shot across Donegal and Sligo.
• The Winter Lake,by Winter Lake Productions/Tailored Films, which has just completed production in Sligo.

These projects are in addition to the previously-announcedCalm With Horses, which was shot in Clare and across Galway city and county and is currently in post-production.

“Developing the audio visual sector as part of the Creative Economy is a key goal of the recently published 5 year strategy for the WDC. As the lead agency for the Creative Economy under the Government’s West Regional Enterprise Plan, we already see the benefits a dedicated fund such as the WRAP fund can bring to a region: high-caliber projects adding €4m extra spend to the local economy together with invaluable training and experience for local talent interested in working in this industry.”Tomás Ó Síocháin.CEO of Western Development Commission.

In addition to its production investment, WRAP is announcing the recipients of the first round ofdevelopment investmentto assistlocal producersto develop projects that can undertake production within the region. This was as a result of a call out with a deadline of October 2018. Companies based in Clare, Donegal, Galway and Mayo have received support. These are:

• St. John:a television series developed by Galway production company Danú Media and Dearg Films and written by Brian Reddin
• To Hell Or Hibernia:a feature film developed by Mayo production company Hardy Films and written by Mike Cockayne (Mayo) and Vincent Cleghorne
• Trace:a feature film developed by Galway production company Magamedia and written by Ray Lawlor (Mayo)
• Weekend:a television series developed by Donegal production company Slipway Films and New Decade TV and written by Tara Hegarty (Donegal)
• The Wee Littles: an animated television series developed by Clare animation studio Magpie6 Media, created by Cliff Parrott (Clare) and Christina O’Shea (Clare) and written/directed by Emma Hogan (Clare)

“We are delighted to be announcing the projects in receipt of investment and it is exciting to see the caliber of applications we are receiving. This is reflective of the general standard over the last few years in Irish film, television and animation with Irish talent making its mark on a global stage. WRAP is delighted to give a platform to local talent telling stories. WRAP is focused on continuing to drive the success and growth of the screen industries in the West through targeted strategic support with the backing of our stakeholders.”

Sarah Dillon.Development Manager of the WRAP Fund