Cinema of Ireland

This article is about film in the Republic of Ireland. For film in Northern Ireland, see Cinema of Northern Ireland.

Cinema of Ireland
No. of screens537 (2019)[1]
 • Per capita11.0 per 100,000 (2011)[1]
Main distributorsWarner Bros. 18.4%
Paramount 16.2%
Universal 12.1%[2]
Produced feature films (2011)[3]
Fictional20
Animated2
Documentary10
Number of admissions (2011)[5]
Total16,350,000
 • Per capita3.6 (2010)[4]
National films640,000 (3.9%)
Gross box office (2011)[5]
Total€112 million
National films€4.4 million (3.9%)

The Irish film industry has grown somewhat from the late 20th century, due partly to the promotion of the sector by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland and the introduction of heavy tax breaks. According to the Irish Audiovisual Content Production Sector Review carried out by the Irish Film Board and PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2008 this sector, has gone from 1,000 people employed six or seven years previously, to well over 6,000 people in that sector by the time of the report. The sector was reportedly valued at over €557.3 million and represented 0.3% of GDP.[6] Most films are produced in English as Ireland is largely Anglophone, though some productions are made in Irish either wholly or partially.

According to a 2009 article in Variety magazine spotlighting Irish cinema, up to 1999/2000, Ireland had only two filmmakers "anyone had heard of": Neil Jordan and Jim Sheridan.[7] However, as of 2009, the Variety article stated that Ireland then had "more than a dozen directors and writers with significant and growing international reputations" and listed directors such as Lenny Abrahamson, Conor McPherson, John Crowley, Martin McDonagh, John Michael McDonagh, John Carney, Kirsten Sheridan, Lance Daly, Paddy Breathnach and Damien O'Donnell and writers such as Mark O'Rowe, Enda Walsh and Mark O'Halloran.[7]

Former Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism Martin Cullen (2008–2010) said that “the film industry is the cornerstone of a smart and creative digital economy”.[8] In addition to the economic benefit that the Irish film industry brings in by way of cash investment from overseas and the associated VAT, PAYE and PRSI receipts, it was reported in 2009 that there were also "soft benefits" in terms of the development and projection of the Irish culture and the promotion of tourism.[9]

Some of the most successful Irish films include The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006), Intermission (2003), Man About Dog (2004), Michael Collins (1996), Angela's Ashes (1999), The Commitments (1991), Once (2007) and The Quiet Girl (2022). Mrs. Brown's Boys D'Movie (2014) holds the record for the biggest gross on the opening day of an Irish film in Ireland.[10]

During the 20th century, a number of films were censored or banned, owing largely to the influence of the Catholic Church with films including The Great Dictator (1940), A Clockwork Orange (1971) and Life of Brian (1979) being banned at various times,[11] although virtually no cuts or bans have been issued as of the early 21st century.[citation needed] The Irish Film Classification Office policy is that of personal choice for the viewer, considering his job to examine and classify films rather than censor them.[12][13]

  1. ^ a b "Table 8: Cinema Infrastructure - Capacity". UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  2. ^ "Table 6: Share of Top 3 distributors (Excel)". UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Archived from the original on 24 December 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  3. ^ "Table 1: Feature Film Production - Genre/Method of Shooting". UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Archived from the original on 23 March 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  4. ^ "Cinema - Admissions per capita". Screen Australia. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
  5. ^ a b "Table 11: Exhibition - Admissions & Gross Box Office (GBO)". UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  6. ^ "Irish Audiovisual Content Production Sector Review" (PDF). Irish Film Board. 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 February 2012.
  7. ^ a b Dawtry, Adam (15 May 2009). "Variety Spotlight: Irish Film Soars Past Old Limitations". Variety. Retrieved 18 August 2009.
  8. ^ O'Flanagan, Kate (26 April 2009). "Projecting a Positive Image" (PDF). Sunday Business Post. Retrieved 18 August 2009.[permanent dead link‍]
  9. ^ "Lured by the Gift of Storytelling" (PDF). Sunday Business Post. 26 April 2009. Retrieved 18 August 2009.[permanent dead link‍]
  10. ^ "Mrs Brown's Boys D'Movie buoys UK and Ireland box office". BBC News. 1 July 2014. Archived from the original on 3 July 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  11. ^ "Ten films that Ireland banned under the 1923 Censorship Act," Archived 21 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine The Irish Post, 2015
  12. ^ "John Kelleher". Archived from the original on 21 August 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2009.
  13. ^ Breda Heffernan (7 January 2008). "Censor calls 'cut' on moral guardian role". The Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 24 July 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2009.