Michelle Mulherin (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I welcome the Bill and the proposal that the ceiling on the amount to be invested in the production and development of Irish film would be increased by €100 million. I welcome also the findings of the audiovisual strategic review steering group and its recommendation that we double the value of the industry to the country, double employment and increase exports. When we talk about film, most people think of Hollywood or something that is mysterious. Considering the opportunities identified in this report, we need a body like the Irish Film Board to interface on our behalf with international markets and with the global economy in terms of the global appetite for film to ensure we can stake our claim to a part of that market.

We all agree that we are creative and that our country is interesting. We have a story to tell and as Irish people we love being creative in various ways. We never say something directly; we always tell it with a story. It is in our nature, so to speak. For that reason we can grow the film industry here in an organic way because we have the raw material.

I refer to my local area because this can be replicated around the country. For years the small village of Tubbercurry, not far from where I live, have had a great tradition of theatre. The year before last a great honour was brought to that town when one of their own people, Dearbhla Walsh, received an Emmy award for her involvement in film. That brought great pride to all of us in our area because she had been nurtured in that film festival and the dedication that goes into that. That is replicated throughout the country in amateur dramatics.

If we move on from that and consider the position around the country, we can see how well equipped the arts is now. It is wonderful to see that. In my town we have opened a state-of-the-art arts centre with a 250 seat theatre. We have done that because there is a wealth of talent available and people need a platform and to be encouraged. Already, youngsters can partake in film-making courses and classes at a fractional cost to what it would cost them privately. That has been encouraged throughout the area.

We hosted the Oska Bright Film Festival of short films and digital media where people with learning disabilities get to partake in the production of small films. That involves companies in the United Kingdom also. We hosted the festival some years ago in Ballina and it was very successful. That allows us in turn to work with experts in the industry including actors and people expert in production, and also people with learning disabilities, to great celebration in our town. That is replicated throughout the country and instead of looking at people who are at the high end of film production and the experts in that regard, the Irish Film Industry should look to see what is simmering at grass roots level.

One of the weaknesses in the arts overall is that it is not like football or other sports played by teams. Artistic expression can be an individual pursuit. People who work in the arts are dotted around the country and it is a challenge to get them to work together or get involved in the bigger picture or business or marketing or to make money out of their skill because there is not that co-operative effort. I especially welcome arts centres and the emphasis on the arts in recent years. The Irish film industry should and can link in with the efforts being made in arts centres throughout the country and the film festivals to bring to bear their expertise in encouraging the good work already going on.

Another area we should examine is bringing people up who already have some exposure to film, whether it is on the stagecraft side, the production side or the acting side, and that is in our education system. We recognise through physical education and other courses that people need a broader experience in their education than a strictly academic one. The whole area of theatre, production and film, and digital media should be a subject students can learn in their secondary school, and it should be recognised as such if we are serious when we say that this area potentially can create jobs. If we have all this raw material and raw talent to work with we should formalise that and encourage students through courses brought into our education system that recognise that talent.

Overall, it is forward thinking to invest in film. The challenge is to tie it in with what is going on at grass roots level and to bring to bear that benefit to the industry.

See this speech in context