Ms Désirée Finnegan:

I thank the Chairman and committee members for the invitation. My name is Désirée Finnegan and I am joined by Teresa McGrane and Gareth Lee.

Screen Ireland is involved in the creative development, production, distribution and marketing of Irish feature film, animation, documentary, shorts and more recently, television drama. Screen Ireland is responsible for promoting the expression of national Irish culture on screen, developing skills across the sector and attracting international productions to Ireland.

The creative screen industries are transforming at an unprecedented rate globally, accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Irish industry has experienced significant growth over the past decade but the pandemic has now impacted every part of the industry. Live-action production in Ireland and around the globe effectively ceased in March 2020. Producers, directors, writers, cast and crew were all affected and the Government’s social welfare and business supports have proved essential.

With production at a standstill, focus was redirected to project development, which could continue remotely. Distributors had to contend with films scheduled for cinema release transitioning to other at-home viewing platforms. Cinemas had to close and when allowed to reopen had to operate with severe restrictions, reduced capacity and limited international films to screen. The animation industry demonstrated outstanding resilience, adapting quickly to remote working and keeping production activity going despite many challenges.

In immediate response to the crisis, Screen Ireland rapidly implemented a broad range of Covid-19 measures. We have circulated a briefing paper to members outlining those measures. Screen Skills Ireland also transitioned all of its courses online free-of-charge, including Covid-19 return to work and compliance officer training.

Throughout the pandemic, Screen Ireland’s key priority has been to get the industry back to work, with health and safety of cast and crew the primary concern. In preparation for recommencing production, Screen Ireland supported SPI in the development of comprehensive health and safety guidelines.

Production insurance has also been a significant challenge. With exclusions in effect, the live action sector would not have been in a position to return to production without cover related to losses relating to Covid-19. Screen Ireland was awarded €5 million by the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Catherine Martin, to administer a production continuation fund for the sector. This fund was run as a pilot in 2020 and we believe it will still be required into 2021.

I am pleased to inform the committee that the industry has worked collaboratively since the start of the crisis, prioritising health and safety, and has demonstrated its resilience and creativity. By the end of 2020, a total of 12 feature films, three TV productions, eight animated TV shows and 13 documentaries supported by Screen Ireland will have been produced. We are expecting a significant amount of production activity in 2021, including large-scale TV productions in counties Limerick, Cork, Donegal and Dublin. There are also a number of proposed developments in studio infrastructure that have the potential to transform Ireland’s international offering in the coming years. I thank for the committee for its time today and we look forward to answering any questions you might have. Go raibh míle maith agaibh.