Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin TD addresses Cork Film Forum

Posted on 06/11/09 by Micheál Martin

I am very pleased to be here this afternoon to make the opening address at this, the Cork Film Forum. There is a wonderful list of very eminent speakers to follow me to discuss this very important subject of creativity and innovation and the importance of the Irish Film Industry to creativity and innovation and our economic recovery.

I hope that what I have to say this afternoon, will in some way, contribute to those discussions.

Creativity is undoubtedly the fundamental resource required in the knowledge, cultural and smart economy. The creative industries, whether they take the form of visual and performing arts, audiovisual, publishing, design, advertising or architecture leads to innovation, and towards the production of both ideas and products.

In "Building Ireland's Smart Economy" the Government acknowledges that Ireland needs to build the "ideas" component. It recognises that this is to be done through the use of the knowledge, skills and the creativity of her people. The audiovisual industry is a very important part of this creativity sector.

The importance of Irish culture, including film, in promoting Ireland abroad was a key theme to emerge at the recent Global Irish Economic Forum at Farmleigh.

And we are fortunate to have a body like Culture Ireland that is committed to showcasing the best of Irish creative talent on the world stage.

We are immensely fortunate to have some of the world’s finest writers and performers who are deeply committed to the same cause.

In New York, for example, Liam Neeson serves on the Board of the American Irish Historical Society and he and Gabriel Byrne have tirelessly supported the Irish Arts Centre and the Irish Repertory Theatre; each of these institutions committed to nurturing and showcasing new Irish talent.

If we need any reminder that we can be world-beaters, then we should look to the creative arts for the most persuasive evidence.

Take a sampling in one of our most important markets – the US – over the past month alone.

Colum McCann was short-listed for the National Book Awards – one of America’s highest literary accolades – for his novel “Let the Great World Spin”.

Jim Norton was lauded by the New York Times as having created “a body of work unsurpassed in its artistry, humanity and truth by that of any actor in New York in the past decade”.

Druid Theatre scored a major success in New York with Enda Walshe’s “New Electric Ballroom” with a cast that include Rosaleen Lenihan and Ruth McCabe.

And the tiny Irish Repertory Theatre put on a production of Eugene O’Neill’s “Emperor Jones” judged by the New York Time to be the best show in New York.

This matters.

At a time when the IDA is working flat out to maintain and develop investment in Ireland by selling our people’s creativity and capacity for innovation, this matters very much indeed.

Right now, our writers and performers, the creative arts that the film industry supports, are carrying the banner for Irish creativity and innovation. They are world-beaters and they are making world headlines.

And over a three-month period, in New York alone, those stories and other like them delivered an equivalent marketing value to Ireland of over $5 million.

That is an extraordinarily good return on the relatively modest investment we put into promoting Irish culture overseas.

The business community understands this very well. At Farmleigh, It was pointed out repeatedly by leading participants that our unique cultural heritage provides Ireland with a strong competitive advantage abroad and that there are very significant gains to be achieved through the development of much closer collaborations between the cultural and business sectors. I found it interesting that several of the most senior business figures present chose to attend the panel discussion on culture rather than the more economic focussed sessions.

The full report on the Forum, including a summary of the discussion on culture, is available to the public on the home page of the Department of Foreign Affairs- www.dfa.ie. The report contains detailed lists of the main themes to emerge; the specific initiatives proposed and the medium term objectives identified. Among the proposals are some directly related to the cultural sector, such as the establishment of a new world class university for the performing arts in Ireland.

The Forum was first and foremost designed to develop a more strategic relationship between Ireland and the global Irish across a range of sectors. The Government is determined to follow up on the positive momentum generated at Farmleigh and has decided to establish a new inter-Departmental Committee of senior officials to consider and take forward the work identified in the Forum report. This Committee is chaired by the Secretary General of the Department of Taoiseach, Dermot McCarthy, and will report directly to Government. It is expected that a detailed progress report will be made publicly available in advance of the St Patrick’s Day period.

I was very pleased that the Renewed Programme for Government agreed recently, includes a commitment to continued Government support for the Irish Film Board. The Film Board has primary responsibility for the support and promotion of film-making in Ireland in respect of both the indigenous sector and inward international productions.

The Film Board, with overall funding for 2009 of €21.8m, continues with its key role of developing and supporting film production in Ireland. The provision in its current allocation facilitates the Film Board in marketing Ireland as a film location and, in particular, in raising the profile of the Irish audio-visual industry abroad. This role has been carried out very successfully over the years and the Irish Film Board now has a key role at the heart of the new creative knowledge economy.

The capital funding provided by the Government to the Irish Film Board has ensured support to meet the demands of the industry in the areas of project and talent development, training and indigenous film and television production.

The funding enables the Film Board to fulfil its aim of sustained growth of the industry – increasing the number and quality of films produced in Ireland each year.

In tandem with supports from the Film Board, the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism’s primary operational role in supporting the film sector relates to the administration of elements of the Section 481 tax relief scheme. This scheme is kept under regular review in conjunction with the Film Board and any enhancements necessary to retain or regain competitiveness are addressed and brought to the attention of the Minister for Finance as appropriate. The scheme was amended and enhanced most recently last year. These amendments extended the scheme for a further four years until the end of 2012, increased the overall ceiling on qualifying expenditure from €35m to €50m, increased the individual investor cap for those wishing to invest finance in film in Ireland under Section 481 to €50,000 per annum from the previous limit of €31,750 (and increased the relief on that investment to 100% from 80%).

Approval from the European Commission to introduce these changes was secured in March 2009 and the Minister for Finance subsequently signed the Commencement Orders on 16 March.

Clearly, this shows a long-term commitment by the Government to the Irish audiovisual industry. The industry is a very important one with substantial levels of employment and significant inward investment. The Irish Audiovisual Content Production Sector Review prepared for the Irish Film Board and published in December of 2008 established the 2007 value of the audiovisual production sector in Ireland at over half a billion Euro with direct employment at 6,000. An earlier survey in 1992 identified that in 1992, direct employment was 1,000. This palpably demonstrates an industry that has grown very significantly and with the potential to grow even further with the correct nurturing and support.

Another important source of support for the Irish audiovisual industry is from Europe. MEDIA Desk Ireland has a strategic position in the Irish audiovisual industry as the interface between the sector and the MEDIA Programme of the European Union. The dual aspect of this relationship is the facilitation of inward investment/support from the MEDIA Programme to the Irish industry and the parallel facilitation of the reach of the Irish industry into the European market. Since 2001 Ireland has secured over €13million from this programme. MEDIA is the nexus between European talent (film, television, documentary, drama, animation, etc. and the marketplace. Relationships formed at this level form the basis of dynamic business and creative partnerships.

All that I have already mentioned underlines the benefits to Ireland of having a vibrant film industry and audio-visual sector, and the Government recognises this. Again, on the employment front this year, two projects alone, “Leap Year” with Amy Adams and series four of “The Tudors”, will have employed more than 3,600 people between crew, cast and extras.

The significant issue now is to continue to provide as supportive an environment as is possible. There are many great projects due for release shortly such as Neil Jordan’s “Ondine”, starring Colin Farrell, Ian Fitzgibbon’s “Perrier’s Bounty”, starring Cillian Murphy and Conor McPherson’s new film, “The Eclipse”. Our films are continuing to reach international audiences and they continue to showcase Ireland abroad. (A record 7 Irish Film Board-supported films were selected for official screening at the Toronto Film Festival last September – with Irish talent centre stage with other masters of the film craft).

The audiovisual industry is "smart". It combines tradition with the advent of each new technology – it is in fact about tradition, translation and transmission. The sector provides natural alliances between education and culture. It is therefore, uniquely positioned, to lead, to contribute to and enhance the smart economy.

Crucial to any recovery and to that recovery being sustained is the willingness to improve and pursue new opportunities. Ireland is ideally placed with its reputation for creative thinking to ensure what we offer, more than anywhere else - is a diverse and different experience.

Our cultural and artistic identity as a nation gives us a competitive advantage that now more than ever must be exploited.

Finally, I want to wish you well with the rest of the forum this afternoon for what I am sure will be a stimulating and uplifting experience.