Blueprint PicturesActor Colin Farrell in The Banshees of Inisherin
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 20:16
Fleur Launspach
UK and Ireland correspondent
Fleur Launspach
UK and Ireland correspondent
Film and TV productions from Ireland are breaking records. This year, Irish films, filmmakers and stars accounted for no less than fourteen Oscar nominations. Mainly The Banshees of Inisherin – a dark comedy filmed on a remote island off the west coast of Ireland – is very successful in the international film world.
That makes Achill Island, the location where the film was shot, much more popular with tourists this summer. The rugged coastlines and rolling mountains are an important part of the film. The remote area with a population of less than 3,000 has been put on the map by the film, says Mick Lynch, owner of the local cafe Lynott’s Pub. “There are a remarkable number of Americans coming this year. You see a constant stream of visitors this summer who are inspired by that film.”
Not only tourism benefits from the success of the film sector, too spin-off industries are booming in Ireland. Special effects maker Mark Maher worked on miniature models for The Hobbit in New Zealand, before he decided to return to Ireland to set up his own studio.
Tax benefits
In 2017, he invested all of his savings in renting a building in Limerick, which he developed into Odyssey Studios. The studio is full of giant crab claws, zombies, severed heads, legs and fingers. “Productions like the television series Vikings in Game of Thrones bring a lot of employment to the island,” he says. In recent years, Maher and his crew have been working on the film Alice Through the Looking Glass and the horror series Penny Dreadful. “There’s a lot of talent here, also in terms of supporting crew, for when a big production comes to Ireland.”
The location of Mark Maher’s studio was chosen in part because of its proximity to Troy Studios, which includes the Apple series Foundation being filmed. The studio attracts streaming platforms such as Netflix, Disney+ and Apple+ to the region.
There are two streams in the Irish film industry: for own local productions and international projects. Large companies such as Disney and NBC Universal produce films in Ireland and thus benefit from Irish tax benefits.
More and more prestige
“Tax breaks have been critical to much of its current success,” said Roderick Flynn, a lecturer in communication studies at Dublin City University. Successive Irish governments decided to invest in the film and television industry. And with results: the audiovisual sector has quadrupled in the past ten years and is now worth around 700 million euros. This sector is gaining more and more prestige worldwide.
“It definitely makes sense to create tax breaks for the film and TV industry. The economy benefits,” says Flynn. “Moreover, it is also bearing fruit in other areas. Think, for example, of ‘soft power’: how do you present Ireland on the world stage. For these reasons, too, it is a good idea to support the film and television sector.”
2023-07-29 18:16:52
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