Irish film board celebrates blockbuster year

The filming of the next Star Wars blockbuster along with increased activity in Irish film, animation and television drama saw a record-breaking €250m production spend in Ireland in 2016, according to the Irish Film Board.

The IFB yesterday announced the figure as it published a list of the productions it has supported which are due for release this year.

The released planned for 2017 include Stephen Burke’s Maze starring Tom Vaughan-Lawlor — a production that saw the old Cork Prison double for the Northern Irish prison; Delinquent Season starring Cillian Murphy and Andrew Scott; Halal Daddy, a cultural clash comedy drama filmed in Sligo and starring Colm Meaney and Sarah Bolger; and the Angelina Jolie-produced animated feature The Breadwinner by Nora Twomey.