John Daly: Ireland's film industry ready for action again

Hollywood actor Matt Damon on the set of ‘The Last Duel’, a historical drama thriller directed by Ridley Scott, at Cahir Castle in Co Tipperary last autumn. Also starring Adam Driver, Jodie Comer, and Ben Affleck, and produced by 20th Century Studios, the film is slated for release in October. Cahir Castle — standing in as a 14th-century French chateau in ‘The Last Duel’ — has also served as a location in films and series including ‘Excalibur’ and ‘The Tudors’.

Like many sectors of the economy, Ireland’s film business has endured a difficult year of production stoppages, extended unemployment, and cancelled projects due to Covid-19.

However, 2021 is shaping up as a busy 12 months with an upward curve of activity across the industry.

While the pandemic has significantly impacted, Screen Ireland is expecting a significant amount of production activity over the coming year, including television productions in Limerick, Cork, Donegal, and Dublin.

As an unexpected by-product of the repeated global lockdowns, on-demand streaming has increased significantly beyond normal predictions as companies such as Netflix, Amazon, and Apple TV escalate production schedules to respond to the public appetite for home entertainment.

Screen Ireland chief executive Désirée Finnegan highlighted the challenges faced by the creative screen industries throughout the pandemic, while underlining the long-term resilience of the sector.

As of the end of 2020, 12 feature films, three television productions, eight animated TV shows, and 13 documentaries supported by Screen Ireland will have been produced.

A number of major international productions have also finished filming, including director Ridley Scott’s historic epic, The Last Duel, starring Matt Damon and Adam Driver, filmed at locations in Meath and Dublin.

Two major television series, Valhalla and Foundation, are also in production.

In response to the pandemic, the agency repurposed funding to focus on project development which could continue remotely.

The country’s biggest studio, Troy Studios in Limerick, hosted the production of ‘Foundation’, the Apple TV science fiction drama, and set to become Ireland’s largest-scale production creating 500 jobs.

Support was provided for distributors who had to contend with films scheduled for cinema release transitioning to other at-home viewing platforms.

Screen Ireland was awarded €5m by the Government to administer a production continuation fund for the sector, in response to the challenge around production risk. 

This fund was run as a pilot in 2020, and it will still be required into 2021.

Ireland has undergone a production boom in the last decade, with spend rising from €164m in 2010 to €357m in 2019.

“Globally, the screen industry is transforming at an unprecedented rate and with the growth of streaming services in the market there is more demand than ever for quality content,” said Ms Finnegan.

Screen Ireland chair Annie Doona added: “Ireland’s screen production sector has more than doubled in the last decade and it continues to be a critical component of both our economy and our social fabric.

“Our indigenous industry is growing, and we are active participants in the global growth story with all the major streaming giants now amongst our production partners,” she said.

She added that the full restoration of Screen Ireland’s annual funding and the ongoing commitment to Section 481 tax incentives are critical to this success.

Troy Studios in Limerick has also forecast strong demand for television and streaming content as a result of Covid-19. 

The country’s biggest studio, based at Castletroy, it hosted the production of Foundation, the Apple TV science fiction drama starring Jared Harris and based on Isaac Asimov’s short stories and novels, and set to become Ireland’s largest-scale production creating over 500 jobs.

“Historically, Limerick, Clare, and Tipperary have not benefited from film and TV production to the same extent as other parts of the country,” said Limerick’s regional film manager, Paul C Ryan.

“Now, with Troy Studios, new tax credit increases, and a growing base of talented crew to support visiting productions, we expect more film productions to come to the region and more films being made by local filmmakers,” he said. 

Also responding to international demand for suitable production space, Ardmore Studios in Bray is embarking on a major investment programme that will significantly increase its capacity.

The animation industry was also commended on demonstrating its continued resilience, adapting quickly to remote working and keeping production activity going despite many challenges.

The sector has been one of the industry’s standout success stories, contributing €180m last year. 

This year’s animation slate includes the just-released feature, Wolfwalkers, from the Oscar-nominated studio Cartoon Saloon, creator of previous hits The Breadwinner and Song Of The Sea.

The company was profiled recently in The New York Times under the headline, The Small Irish Animation Studio That Keeps Getting the Oscars’ Attention. 

Wolfwalkers, set in 17th-century Kilkenny, represents another major step forward for Cartoon Saloon.

It will be followed later in 2021 by My Father’s Dragon, based on a 1948 illustrated children’s novel by American children’s author Ruth Stiles Gannett, following a young boy searching for a dragon on a magical island.