The Arts Council of Ireland recently announced that from 1 April this year it would hand over responsibility for film finance to the Northern Ireland Film & Television Commission (NIFTC).
The hand-over is for a three-year pilot period, with 13% of the council’s Lottery funding being allocated annually to the NIFTC, which will amount to a sum in excess of GB£1 million in the first year.
Chief Executive of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Roisin McDonough, says: ‘Since 1995, the Arts Council had made 51 awards totaling £3,345,106
to film production and 25 development awards totaling £351,080. The Arts Council Lottery film production, development and distribution awards have also attracted a further £20 million of investment from the UK and abroad.’‘We are confident that this new partnership with NIFTC will develop the full ambitions of the sector as well as securing adequate funding for filmmaking which has a wider, culturally-significant value.’
The NIFTC says it will maintain film award categories as have been offered by the Arts Council.