Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 July 2012
412 Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the amount of money that has been loaned by the Irish Film Board for funding short films since September 2008; and the amount of this money that has been returned to the board [36211/12]
View answerThe Irish Film Board is the statutorily independent agency responsible for the promotion and development of the Irish film industry. I have no responsibility for its day-to-day operational matters, including policies and the allocation of resources to different support programmes and schemes. I have been informed by the board that funding of €2,074,000 was provided in the period between September 2008 to December 2011 for short films and that in the same period €44,000 was recouped. It may be noted that short film production is one of the key components in the development of film talent such as writers, directors, producers, cast and crew. Short film production also helps to create employment in the creative and technical areas of the industry. Irish short films showcase Irish talent and Irish culture to millions worldwide. They are screened at many international festivals and are viewed millions of times on YouTube. Irish short films have had eight Oscar nominations in the last ten years. The potential for significant long-term impacts arising can be seen by the following two examples: Cathal Gaffney (director of the 2002 Oscar-nominated film "Give Up Yer Auld Sins") now runs Brown Bag Films, which employs 125 people in Ireland; and Martin McDonagh (director of 2005 Oscar-nominated film "Six Shooter") went on to direct the box office and critical hit "In Bruges".
