Cinema of Ireland

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The Irish film industry has grown somewhat in recent years thanks partly to the promotion of the sector by Bord Scannán na hÉireann (The Irish Film Board) and the introduction of heavy tax breaks. Some of the most successful Irish films include The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006), Intermission (2001), Man About Dog (2004), Michael Collins (1996), Angela's Ashes (1999), The Commitments (1991) and Once (2007). In the past many films were censored or banned, owing largely to the influence of the Catholic church, although virtually no cuts or bans have been issued in recent years, with one in 2004, one in 2005, and one as of August 2006, with the Irish Film Censor's Office policy being that of personal choice for the viewer.

Ireland has also proved a popular location for shooting films, largely due to the tax-breaks, with The Quiet Man (1952), Braveheart (1995), Reign of Fire (2002) and King Arthur (2004) all being shot in Ireland. The first film ever shot in Ireland was The Lad from Old Ireland (1910), which was advertised as "The first ever film recorded on two continents". The film was a short silent story about a young Irishman who went to the USA to find riches, before returning home to save his family home from the bailiffs.

Ireland has a high rate of cinema admissions (the highest in Europe). The biggest multiplex chain in the country is Ward Anderson (owners of the Cineplex, Omniplex, and Savoy brands), with other cinemas being owned by United Cinemas International, Cineworld (formerly UGC Cinemas), and Vue (formerly Ster Century). One of the largest Irish owned independent cinema chains is Storm Cinemas, with cinemas currently in Belfast, Limerick, Waterford, Navan, Naas, Portlaoise and Cavan. In Autumn 2005, a new multiplex cinema chain, Movies@, entered the market, opening its first cinema in Dundrum, with Galway and Swords sites to come. There is also a large video rental market, dominated by Xtravision, a subsidiary of Blockbuster Video.

The first cinema in Ireland (the Volta) was opened by James Joyce in 1909. Ardmore Studios was the first Irish studio, opening in 1958 in Bray, County Wicklow.

The Irish Film Board was set up in 1981 to boost the local industry. Many film critics however point to the fact that the Irish Film Board's output has been poor, as most films which are chosen for funding do little or no business outside of the country, and are rarely popular in Ireland.

New CEO Simon Perry has criticised most Irish Film Board work as "The values with which they were being made – the cinema values, or mise-en-scène values – the direction of them seemed to strongly belong to TV and have no sense of the visual"[1]

In a seminal article Donal Foreman stated the "The ultimate problem isn’t that most Irish films are terrible. It’s worse than that – they’re unambitious". [2]

In 2005 a Jameson Whiskey-sponsored poll selected the top 10 Irish films: the results are below.[3]

  1. The Commitments (1991)
  2. My Left Foot (1989)
  3. In the Name of the Father (1993)
  4. The Quiet Man (1952)
  5. The Snapper (1993)
  6. Michael Collins (1996)
  7. The Field (1990)
  8. Intermission (2003)
  9. Veronica Guerin (2003)
  10. Inside I'm Dancing (2004)

Critically acclaimed Irish films released since this poll include Once and Garage.

Contents

[edit] List of Irish films

See also List of films set in Ireland

[edit] List of Irish filmmakers

[edit] Irish Film & Television Awards

The Irish Film and Television Awards have been awarded since 1999, and in their current form since 2003. The "Best Irish Film" winners have been:

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Open, Michael. Sweet Fifteen: Simon Perry, CEO of BSÉ/IFB interview. Film Ireland. Retrieved on 2008-03-09.
  2. ^ Foreman, Donal. What's Missing From Irish Cinema. [1]. Retrieved on 2008-03-09.
  3. ^ Top 10 Best Irish Films of All Time (pdf). Press release: 2005 Jameson Whiskey poll. Irish Distillers (2005-07-14). Retrieved on 2008-03-09.

[edit] External links

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