The Screen Directors Guild of Ireland (SDGI), the representative body for television and film directors, has called for retention of the Irish Film Board opposing its suggested abolition as mentioned in the McCarthy report.
The move comes after comments made by Neil Jordan at the Global Irish Economic Forum in Farmleigh recently where he commented that "so many institutions have failed the Irish people. The culture industry, they have not failed, they are perhaps the only success story that remains after the last 20 years."
Director Ciaran Donnelly, Chairperson of SDGI, reiterated on behalf of all members of the Guild that “the marriage of creativity and industry has paid both artistic and fiscal returns to the Irish state many times greater than the investment. The positive nature of the international identity of Ireland is intrinsically linked to our unique and powerful contribution to global arts, film and television. They are essential for the development of a healthy democratic society, are a powerful means of self-reflection and deliver a genuine record for future generations.”
The Guild also highlighted Ireland’s successes at the recent primetime Emmy Awards in the US, where Irish talent won two key awards. Birch Hamilton, Executive Director of SDGI, commented: “Irish talent has a valued and much-envied standing across the international arts community as a vibrant and creative contributor to the cultural development of not only their own country, but the global community. Ireland’s contribution to international arts is recognised frequently, as is noted by our success this weekend at the Emmys, where director Dearbhla Walsh won for “Little Dorrit” and Brendan Gleeson for his performance as Winston Churchill in “Into The Storm”, which was helmed by Irish director Thaddeus O’Sullivan.”
She added that “The Irish film industry is a significant success story, and the abolition of the Irish Film Board would do irreparable damage to this vital element of the arts in this country. SDGI and its members vehemently opposes any proposals to abolish the Irish Film Board. Only a dedicated state agency such as the IFB can cultivate the imagination and creativity that will secure us as innovators for the future. The arts break new ground where business can follow, and are central to the economic recovery of Ireland. On behalf of our members, we will continue to aggressively oppose any proposed reduction in services offered by the Irish Film Board, and will strenuously object to any change in the role of the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism, the existence of which we see as vital to the continued success of the arts in Ireland, and Irish arts abroad.”
Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism Martin Cullen TD also criticised the proposed cuts to his department in the ‘Bord Snip Nua’ report. “Culture is really at the centre of what we’re going to do going forward,” said Minister Cullen. “It’s the biggest growth area, in spite of the world downturn, that’s going to come over the next 15 years.” The Minister also said that new research has shown that the cultural and creative sector is one of the most dynamic areas of the Irish economy, with a total economic impact last year of €11.8 billion.
The Irish Film Board’s stance on the matter remains unchanged, they commented: “Government funding, provided directly to the sector through BSÉ/IFB (€18.8m in 2009), is a key component of the entire audiovisual content industry. A recent survey by Price Waterhouse Coopers valued Ireland’s audiovisual content industry at over half a billion euro per annum and found that it now offers permanent employment to over 6,000 individuals. The industry in turn supports an ecology that generates many other indirect employment benefits arising out of production activities around the country.”
”The immediate loss of employment that withdrawal of BSÉ/IFB funding will cause is likely to cost the State in excess of the sought after savings. Further, the strategic importance of Ireland’s content industries to the creation of a Smart Economy – as described in the Government’s recent policy paper “Building Ireland’s Smart Economy” – is also at risk of being undermined.”
