Screen Ireland secures extra funding to lift budget to €37.7 million for 2023

Screen Ireland has announced new funding worth a total of €3m at an industry event in Dublin.

The funding - across gaming, documentary, animation innovation and IP development - follows a €1m increase to Screen Ireland’s capital funding from the Irish government, announced in last week’s budget.

A total of €37.7 in budget funding has been allocated to Screen Ireland for 2023. Of this, up to €3.5m is to be ring-fenced to support regional activity.

The latest initiatives were outlined at an industry event in Dublin attended by over 400 professionals.

They include a new round of the Creative Futures production slate fund. This fund will see €2.5m investment in project building for in-house creative teams in Irish production companies.

A second round of the Animation Concept and Immersive Storytelling Fund was confirmed to open this week, which will see up to €50,000 available for innovative formats geared towards driving new audiences. The fund will be available for projects based in emerging technologies.

Included in the new funding measures is a focus on capitalising on the new digital gaming tax credit. A 2023 Gaming Pilot Fund will be launched in the coming weeks.

An IP/Option consultation was also singled out as an opportunity to support Irish producers retain and compete in the negotiation for Irish IP, as well as in the wider international marketplace.

Additional marketing and distribution funding supports for cinema releases will also be made available.

News of the funding came a week after the Irish government announced in last week’s budget that country’s Section 481 tax incentive has been extended to the end of 2028.

Announcing the new measures, Désirée Finnegan, CEO of Screen Ireland, said: “We are delighted to be able to announce a number of initiatives today, opening up new avenues of storytelling for the next generation.”

This article originally appeared on KFTVs sister site, Screendaily.

(Main image credit: Screen Ireland Chief Executive Desiree Finnegan, Minister Catherine Martin Td, and Screen Ireland Board Chair Susan Bergin at Screen Ireland Industry Day via Screen Ireland)