Hot Spots: Screen Ireland CEO Désirée Finnegan Talks Plans To Build Upon Critical & Commercial Success Of Irish Film

Diana Lodderhose
·5 min read
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It’s been 31 years since Screen Ireland (formerly the Irish Film Board) was re-established by the now President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins. In those years, the government has continued to give strong support to the screen sectors, with the country offering an attractive 32% tax incentive on eligible spend for film and television production. Last year, the country’s government increased its section 481 tax incentive cap on eligible expenditure from €70 million to €125 million in a move to attract larger scale productions.

The country has long proven to be a solid partner for international productions looking to house their projects on the Emerald Isle and Irish production companies have partnered with all the major studios and streamers on a raft of projects ranging from Disney’s Disenchanted to Netflix’s Wednesday to Sony’s The Pope’s Exorcist.

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While the industry prides itself most for its depth of talent and crew, its locations are arguably some of the most breath-taking settings in the world, ranging from natural landscapes to rugged coastlines, castles and ancient ruins. It’s locations – ranging from its beautiful natural landscapes, coastlines, castles and ancient ruins – have long served as backdrops for films and series.

Screen Ireland CEO Désirée Finnegan, who has been heading up the national funding organization since 2019, tells Deadline what is driving the sector’s growth and how the company plans to continue to build on the critical and commercial success of the Irish film, television and animation industry.

DEADLINE: How would you say the film and television sectors in Ireland have grown since you’ve been at Screen Ireland? What has been the most notable change you’ve seen in the market and what are your priorities at the moment when it comes to boosting the sectors? 

FINNEGAN: We’ve seen incredible resilience from the Irish screen industry in response to the shifting landscape and challenges the global industry has faced over the last number of years. The same period of time has been marked by record-breaking levels of production activity and critical acclaim for Irish film.

Over the last few years Irish language cinema has really developed, with An Caílín Ciúin (The Quiet Girl)becoming the first Irish-language feature film to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best International Feature.  It is a key priority for us to continue supporting these filmmakers to tell Irish stories on screen, in the Irish language.

The growth of local Irish TV drama has also been very strong – production spend has almost tripled since Screen Ireland first launched TV development funding in 2015 and production funding in 2019. Screen Ireland’s core priorities are to continue supporting filmmakers, creating pathways for talent development and supporting the expression of national culture on screen.

DEADLINE: Are you noticing any trends in the kinds of Irish stories that are breaking through? 

FINNEGAN: Screen Ireland’s 2024 Production Slate has over 40 projects across film, TV drama, animation series and documentary. We’re seeing talented new filmmakers and voices emerge across the slate, many of whom we’re supporting on their debut feature film. Last year, 38% of Screen Ireland-funded productions were led by emerging directors and screenwriters, and the number of short films has almost tripled in the past year. It is really important to us to support filmmakers and stories that are representative of contemporary Ireland.

Irish language cinema in particular is breaking new ground, across genre and audiences. That is really important for Screen Ireland, as it shares our national culture, heritage and language with audiences around the world.

DEADLINE: Ireland has a strong reputation and history for being fantastic co-producers. How much does the business rely on this?  

FINNEGAN: Co-production is vital for independent Irish cinema. Screen Ireland supports the development of relationships between Irish companies and international partners. Ireland has a very competitive tax incentive and is a signatory to the European Convention of Cinematographic Co-Production, which means that we can co-produce very efficiently with every European country. We also have several bilateral co-production agreements with other territories including Canada, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Luxembourg, and most recently France, which we are highlighting at this year’s Marché du Film.

Ireland is also a member of Eurimages, the European co-production fund, playing a very active role in terms of co-operation with other European countries, as well as a network of European organisations such as the European Film Agency Directors (EFAD), the European Observatory and European Film Promotion (EFP).

DEADLINE: What is the nation doing to improve infrastructure and attract productions to come and shoot in the country?

Ireland has become a leading European film production hub in recent years.  Ireland has a strong competitive tax incentive, expanded studio facilities and a variety of stunning locations, but we are really known for the creative talent base in the industry.

Ireland has incredibly talented artists across producing, writing and directing and a world-class crew base who work across both international and local productions.

DEADLINE: What about the VFX business – how is that sector growing in Ireland? 

FINNEGAN: Over the past 15 years, Irish post-production and VFX has become a fast-growing hub for large scale productions. Irish VFX work has been nominated for BAFTAs, Emmys and VES Awards, and is globally recognised for both creative artistry and technical expertise.

There is a significant opportunity for growth in this sector, with Ireland’s existing reputation for creative excellence in both animation and VFX. This year, Screen Ireland launched a National Talent Academy for VFX, an initiative to develop a highly skilled, diverse talent and crew base throughout the country.

DEADLINE: What about animation? How is this sector growing?  

The Irish animation sector has been a major success story over the past 30 years. Screen Ireland supports and funds the development and production of animation across both TV and feature film in Ireland. There has been incredible commercial and critical acclaim for Irish animation, created by a skilled and talented workforce.

In 2022, Screen Ireland established a National Talent Academy for Animation, with a key goal to develop skills across the sector nationwide, creating opportunities for new entrants and a more diverse and inclusive sector at its core.

Another Screen Ireland funding initiative launched in recent years is the Animation Innovation and Immersive Development Fund, which supports the exploration of new avenues and formats for storytelling, focused on diversifying the scale and breadth of what our industry has to offer. We want to support the sector’s growth into the future by allowing animation studios to explore new opportunities offered by emerging technologies, as well as the development of original IP and new, innovative ways of storytelling. Our goal is to reach diverse and highly skilled talent and to support projects across a wide range of genres and formats.

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