Written by Tom Deehan on Oct 16, 2017. Posted in On Location / Production News

New West of Ireland production fund appeals to film, TV and video games

A new production fund to the tune of EUR2 million has been announced to attract film, TV, animation and video game projects to the West of Ireland. Entitled the Western Region Audiovisual Producer's fund (WRAP), the incentive will provide support to roughly 15 projects, creating 90 local jobs in the process.

Eligibility for the fund, which will be available over the next three years, will be determined by the potential economic impact of a given project. The fund itself will be administered in cooperation with the counties of Clare, Donegal, Mayo, Galway, Leitrim, Roscommon and Sligo.

Seán Kyne, Minister of state for rural affairs and natural resources explains: “the potential of the film, television and game industries for the West of Ireland has already been very well demonstrated by TG4 and a range of independent producers. I’m confident that this new Western Development Commission-backed fund will further develop this sector in the West, bringing greater benefits in terms of job creation as well as for the creative industry. I look forward to seeing the results of the investments on our screens in the near future.”

The recent presence of Star Wars: The Force Awakens and its upcoming sequel, The Last Jedi, have boosted Ireland’s production profile. The films utilised locations in County Kerry, County Cork and County Donegal.

A competitive production incentive is already available nationwide in Ireland. Section 481 can provide a 32% tax credit, limited to EUR70 million per-project.

With officials currently recruiting a development manager to oversee the fund, the scheme is expected to debut in early 2018.

If you want to learn more about global developments in the production industry, a variety of talks will be held at FOCUS - the meeting place for international production in December. Click here to register your attendance.