Hollywood Loves Ireland

By James Bartlett

Part of this is due to the country's generous tax laws - great savings always help, whether the budget is big or small - but even though the country offers beautiful views, a wealth of actors and actresses and amazing buildings both modern and centuries old, a Government organization was created in 1993 to help fund and develop Irish filmmaking.

The Irish Film Board - Bord Scannán na hÉireann - also works as a sort of a Bord Fáilte for audiovisual industries across the world, and helps to make the filming process - whether it's a few days or several months - as smooth as possible from beginning to end. They are always looking for TV and movie companies, and trying to persuade them to choose Ireland as the place they say "Lights, Camera, Action!" - whether the story is set there or not.

They will find you a castle, a cave or a deserted beach, but also a sound editor, actor or editor, and hopefully bring investment, employment and training to the country.

There's a tourism aspect too, and judging by the number of visitors in the last few years, it seems that many people have been bewitched by what they saw on the silver screen, and want to see the real place for themselves!

The Irish Film Board HQ is based in Galway - as close to the USA as they can get - but now they have announced the new VP for the Irish Film Commission US is Jonathan Loughran, who will be based in the very heart of Hollywood on Sunset Boulevard.

Loughran is a UCD Smurfit School of Business Graduate, and previously worked at Enterprise Ireland in Los Angeles in their new media department, promoting Irish Trade and Technology expertise to the world. He may still be based in the same office, but now he has the task of wowing the studios in Tinsel Town, as Naoise Barry, Film Commissioner for the Irish Film Board, explained:

"Our new office in the heart of Hollywood will enable us to better compete for mobile US film and television production, creating new business opportunities for the Irish film industry. Jonathan's central focus will be targeting US producers and building on existing relationships that have already been established over the past ten years."

Irish filmmakers, writers, actors and directors flying into town will also be able to use the office as a temporary base, and Jonathan will help by making some introductions (networking is vital in this town!), allowing the use of phone, fax and e-mail, but also with some things that can be really expensive: hotel and car hire (you can't get around to the studios if you don't have wheels!). Most importantly, the office is a place where the next big actor, writer or director will find a friendly face after taking the long flight from Dublin or Belfast, and the jetlag is just starting to kick in!

A number of US projects have already been shot in Ireland this year including "The Tudors", a major television series for Showtime starring Corkman Jonathan Rhys Meyers as the legendary King Henry VIII, and movie P.S., I Love You starring Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby), Gerard Butler (Reign of Fire) and Lisa Kudrow (TV's "Friends"), based on the best-selling novel by Cecilia Ahern.