Ms D?sir?e Finnegan:

Cathaoirleach and committee members, thank you for inviting us here today. I am chief executive of Fís Éireann. I am joined by Andrew Byrne, head of television. As the national agency for feature film, television, animation and documentary, Screen Ireland is a champion and advocate for original storytelling across all screens. We value the expression of national Irish culture on screen, ensuring the sector is sustainable and inclusive. We are seeing world-class Irish creative talent and breathtaking locations celebrated on the world stage, with the global box office success and award-winning acclaim of "The Banshees of Inisherin" and "An Cailín Ciúin". Screen Ireland works closely with international industry stakeholders to fund and assist Irish screen projects from early-stage development through to production, distribution, marketing, broadcast and exhibition. In recent years, there has been extensive growth in both local and international production. From 2019 to 2021, local Irish feature film activity increased by 52% and local Irish TV drama production spend increased by 40%. Irish animation has also demonstrated a further increase following a decade of rapid growth that resulted in record-breaking production levels.

The Cine4 scheme, which has driven the success we now see in Irish-language film, illustrates the strength of local funding partnerships between TG4, Screen Ireland and the BAI, which, in conjunction with the crucial support of section 481, is now helping produce more Irish-language film than ever before. As a result, we are now exploring a model of investment in Irish-language TV drama following a similar approach. Up until recent years, the Irish screen industry had not fully exploited the international opportunities to grow Irish high-end TV drama. In line with the Government’s ambition to make Ireland a global centre of excellence for production, the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, provided additional funding to Screen Ireland specifically to grow the slate of Irish TV drama. This additional support, together with strong partnerships here, have helped build a strong foundation, allowing us to build new business models for TV drama, focused on access to finance through international partnerships. The results of this policy are clearly demonstrated by the increased output of drama over the past two years. Screen Ireland’s investment slate has now increased fourfold, featuring numerous international co-productions filming in Ireland and across the globe, with Irish voices, talent and stories represented across all the major TV platforms and networks.

The challenges ahead include the provision of sustainable funding sources to compete in the international marketplace; changes in audience behaviour and how content is accessed, alongside the increasing presence of international streamers and platforms. Screen Ireland strongly supports the role of Irish public service media in promoting cultural diversity and Irish storytelling on screen that is accessible to all audiences. In a European context, the disruption across the audiovisual landscape has highlighted the preservation of cultural diversity in Europe as a key priority for member states. The ongoing collaboration between the stakeholders represented here today, working with our international counterparts, will ensure Ireland continues its remarkable trajectory as a global production hub and a thriving environment for Irish cultural storytelling on screen. I look forward to answering any questions the committee might have.