If you were to ask a movie producer where in the world is the best place to make a film right now, Ireland would probably be near the top of the list.
Screen Ireland’s latest figures show a 40% increase in investment in new content during 2021, despite COVID restrictions.
The country might have attracted ‘one really big film a year’ 25 years ago. However, according to director Orpen Lynch, it now hosts dozens of international feature films at any one time.
Overspill from the UK – taking up the work
The increased demand for content is not just limited to Ireland. In the UK, a £6 billion film and TV production boom has caught the film industry off-guard.
Companies are facing a severe skills shortage in everything from set designers to accountants. Some sources believe it could be as much as 40,000 workers by 2025, which has already impacted shooting schedules.
With British companies struggling, their neighbours in Ireland have been eager to take on the extra work. Offering very similar scenery and cheaper facilities in many cases, the Emerald Isle is an attractive alternative to the overworked UK film industry.
Rising global demand – changes in consumer habits
Another argument is that Ireland was at the right place at the right time to meet the rising demand for streamable content.
Lockdown changed our habits in many ways. Many people prefer to shop online rather than visit their local store and they choose entertainment like online roulettes instead of visiting a land-based casino with a friend. Others simply prefer to watch their favourite sports team from their sofa rather than at a stadium.
The same is true for the film industry. Here, cinema ticket sales are falling in line with the boom in Netflix and Amazon subscriptions. Advancing technology also means that people can consume content easier than ever; 5G will soon make it possible to download a movie in a few seconds.
The demand shows no sign of slowing, either. One report by a digital research company predicted revenue from TV and internet streaming to hit $210 billion by 2026. This is double the amount generated in 2020.
‘A coming of age’ – the result of hard work
When asked why he thought Ireland was excelling in its film and TV production, director Orpen Lynch described it as the Irish film industry’s “coming of age”.
Rather than recent factors being the reason for such growth, he believes the success is the result of 20 years of hard work and government support.
He referred to the fruits of this labour, which take the form of iconic modern films and excellent work by contemporary actors.
Below are three examples to come from Ireland’s film industry that he alluded to.
Aisha – a tale of asylum seekers
Lynch pointed out two “mind-blowing” performances, both from this movie. Letitia Wright plays a young Nigerian woman caught up in Ireland’s controversial ‘Direct Provision’ immigration system.
The film explores how asylum seekers were treated. Thus, showing how they had to live in substandard accommodation and were kept separate from the rest of the community.
The Crown’s Josh O’Connor also stars as a former prisoner whom Aisha befriends. He empathises with her struggle and seeks to help her out of her predicament.
The film is set to be released in mid-2022. And the director aims to launch it at one of the major film festivals.
Joyride – one of the biggest things to come from Ireland’s film industry this year
Another The Crown star, Oscar winner Olivia Colman, takes the lead role in this coming-of-age comedy. It follows an unlikely friendship between a middle-aged woman and a teenage thrill seeker.
Charlie Reid, who plays the teen, was selected from more than 1,500 applicants. Director Emer Reynolds hailed his “pure, raw talent”.
Shooting started last summer, with a release scheduled for later this year.
Holding – from Ireland’s beloved Graham Norton
In his role as one of the UK and Ireland’s best-loved chat show hosts, Graham Norton’s literary career has flown under the radar.
That may be about to change with the film production of his debut novel Holding about to hit the big screen. A New York Times Bestseller, it tells the story of a failed investigator in a rural village who attempts to solve a criminal case for the first time in his career.
Game of Thrones’ Conleth Hill stars as the hapless PJ Collins. The film’s many twists and turns are sure to keep viewers on the edge of their seats.
A note of caution – what Ireland needs to do next
Still, despite the rich seam of content coming from the Emerald Isle, some industry figures are urging caution.
Irish-American producer Ed Guiney, whose work includes Olivia Colman’s The Favourite, described the country’s film industry as service-based.
He believes that much of what’s happening is offshore production, with foreign entities coming to use the facilities and then taking most of the profit.
In his opinion, Ireland won’t be able to compete with the UK until it takes that ‘quantum leap’ to full production industry. This requires much more investment in Irish talent.
If Guiney’s demands are met and Ireland’s film industry receives a further boost in investment, we might be about to see an ongoing conveyor belt of stunning content for some time to come.
