Irish Film Board launch new Regional Support Fund

Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board (IFB) has launched a new Regional Support Fund, to encourage Irish filmmakers to shoot features and large drama productions in all parts of the country.
The Regional Support Fund is designed to work by offsetting a proportion of additional production costs incurred by shooting in regional areas of Ireland. This is a pilot fund and presently any IFB-backed project close to finalising its finance and locations plan can apply for a loan of up to €125,000 from this fund.
Two high profile projects have already applied to the scheme. Ian Fitzgibbon's ‘Showbands’, a two part mini-series co-financed by BSE/IFB and RTE, is looking to commence shooting in Loughrea, Co Galway from early August, while Neil Jordan's ‘Breakfast On Pluto’, which stars a who's who of Irish talent including Cillian Murphy and Liam Neeson, is seeking to use the fund to enable a regional shoot. Both projects are being produced by Parallel Films.
"BSE/IFB is delighted that the Regional Support Fund has already attracted such interest from the film community," said IFB CEO Mark Woods. "Ireland has a spectacular variety of film locations around the country and this Fund is designed to enable filmmakers to utilise them and to ensure that every part of Ireland has the opportunity to share in the benefits of film production."
(GB)