IFB Budget Safe, But Funds Low

ScreenDaily has reported that Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board (IFB) has had confirmation of its budget for the coming year.

It was cut by $4m (€3m) at the beginning of the year, from $27.2m (€20m) back to $23.1m (€17m) . Further cuts were expected but just before Cannes, the Board has just learned that the 2009 budget will not be reduced further.

Speaking in Cannes, Simon Perry, IFB’s chief executive, said: "The 15% cut if difficult to handle but not as bad as we had thought."

Perry aims to spread the cuts evenly and it has escaped without job losses. He added: "We got away very luckily. Other areas of the economy are being far more fiercely cut. It’s brutal in Ireland."

The article also notes that the cuts are coming after a record year for production: in 2008 25 new live action features, not including documentaries, were shot in Ireland.

As a result the IFB dipped into its reserves, which are now almost gone. Therefore the money available for new film production in 2009 is down 30% on last year.