Six Irish companies successful in latest Creative Europe MEDIA Slate Development & Video Games funding

Six Irish companies have been successful in the latest round of Creative Europe MEDIA Slate Development and Video Games funding.

Results for Europe were announced recently with many new Irishcompanies receiving MEDIA funding for the first time. 19 Irish companies applied for a collective €3,182,930 in funding, with 4 companies successful and receiving a combined €739,881. Samson Films were awarded €180,638, Film and Music Entertainment (Ire) were awarded €193,492, Underground Films were awarded €175,751, and Wild Atlantic Pictures were awarded €190,000.

With 19 companies, Ireland had the second highest number of applicants after France with 33.

MEDIA continues to support Irish companies in the development of strong projects with26 Slate Funding Awards to 19 companiessince 2014 totalling over€4.5 million.

The new funding calls for 2020 will be announced in September.

SLATE FUNDING RESULTS

Samson Films

Headed by Managing Director and producer, David Collins, Samson Films is one of Ireland’s leading film production companies. This is their second Slate Funding award under the 2014 – 2020 MEDIA programme. They have also been awarded MEDIA funding under previous schemes. Their most recent films include Carmel Winters’ acclaimed Float Like a Butterfly and the Irish-Icelandic co-production End of Sentence directed by Elfar Adalsteins.

Underground Films

Run by producers Rachel Lysaght and Lindsay Campbell, Underground Films produce high-end drama and documentary feature films for the international theatrical and television markets. Previous projects have included The Pipe, Patrick’s Day and One Million Dubliners. This is their first MEDIA Slate Funding Award.

Wild Atlantic Pictures

Wild Atlantic Pictures was formed by producers Eoin Egan and Macdara Kelleher and were a partner in the production of George R.R. Martin’s Nightflyers at Troy Studios in Limerick as well as Quantico for ABC Studios and also the acclaimed 2018 film Black ’47. This is the company’s first MEDIA Slate funding award.

Film & Music Entertainment

FM&E recently co-produced Return to Montauk (based on a screenplay co-written by Irish author Colm Tóibín) with Savage Productions Ireland, Ziegler Film and Schlondorff, Francis Pyramid Productions in France, Gaumont in France; Barefoot Films; Wild Bunch, and the broadcasters WDR BR and ARTE. In 2015, Film and Music Entertainment launched Film and Music Entertainment (IRE) Ltd as a subsidiary based in Dublin and to date it has produced or co-produced eight features.

Total Awarded in Slate Funding in 2019 to Irish registered companies: €739,881.