15/10/2015 - The cap on eligible expenditure increased to €70 million

The 2016 funding for the Irish Film Board (IFB) will remain static at the 2015 level with a capital budget of €11.2 million and administration budget of €2.7 million. In 2015, the IFB invested €10 million in feature film and television animation generating production expenditure of over €40 million. In 2015 the IFB is supporting twelve Irish feature films, seven creative feature co-productions, fourteen feature documentaries, three animation television series and 12 short films.

IFB Chief Executive James Hickey said, “We will continue to work to deliver the maximum benefit to all the stakeholders in terms of feature film, feature documentary, creative coproduction and television animation production for the benefit of Irish audiences and audiences throughout the world.” 

Meanwhile Minister for Finance Michael Noonan has reviewed the Section 481 film tax credit and increased the cap on eligible expenditure to €70 million. “It is my hope that the industry will now make the necessary investments in studio spaces in order to attract high quality films and create new jobs. This change is subject to state aid approval,” Noonan said. 

It has been a strong year for Irish cinema so far with co-productions The Lobster [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Yorgos Lanthimos
film profile] winning the Jury Prize at Cannes and Room [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
film profile] getting the People’s Choice Award at Toronto. At the box office Irish films such as Patrick’s Day [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Glassland [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Song of the Sea [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tomm Moore
film profile], Older Than Ireland and Two by Two have proven to be popular.