King of the Travellers today confirmed its Irish cinema release date for the 19^th April.  The announcement comes from new Irish film distributor Wildcard Distribution.  The film received its world premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh and is directed by Mark O'Connor, who made the critically acclaimed Irish feature film Between The Canals - released March 11^th on DVD.   King of the Travellers stars Peter Coonan (Love/Hate), Michael Collins (Man About Dog), newcomer John Connors, and non-actors from the travelling community.   The film features music from
singer/songwriter Damien Dempsey.

King of the Travellers follows John Paul Moorehouse (John Connors) on his destructive quest to uncover the truth about the killer of his father 12 years ago.  John Paul's desire for revenge is swayed as he falls for Winnie Power, the daughter of the man he suspects killed his father.  John Paul must now battle between his consuming passion for justice versus his desire to be with the woman he loves.

Mark O'Connor, director of Kingof the Travellers commented "We made a filmwhich I hope is entertaining for audiences, as well as being of cultural importance to the traveller community.  It was a big risk casting traveller non-actors in the film, but I felt it was necessary to give the film real authenticity. It's very exciting to be able to showcase the film to the Irish public in cinemas."  

Patrick O'Neill, CEO of Wildcard Distribution commented, "King of the Travellers is a fast-paced exciting look into the Irish traveller community and Irish filmmaking at its best. Mark is a fantastic talent and we can't wait to bring this film to Irish audiences." 

The exciting opening scene from King of the Travellers featuring a traveller sulky (horse and cart) race on the streets of Dublin is released online today.  The film was
produced with the support The Irish Film Board / Bord Scannán na hÉireann, the
Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, and TV3.

Wildcard Distribution are working in partnership with UK distributor Metrodome on the release of the film.  Upcoming films from Wildcard Distribution include Lance Daly's Life's a Breeze starring Pat Shortt and Fionnuala Flanagan, and the documentary film featuring Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, The Swell Season.

Watch a clip from the film here

Melbourne's iconic Astor Theatre will host a celebration of Irish film this St Patrick's Day. The historic St Kilda landmark has programmed a special screening of the hit comedy The Guard, which will be accompanied by three unique short films from the Irish Film Board on March 17.

Proprietor George Florence said: "The Astor has a long history of showcasing exciting films from around the globe. With the recent influx of Irish people to Melbourne, we could think of no better time to celebrate Ireland's contribution to cinema and introduce Australian audiences to some great Irish films."

This one-off programme will be headlined by hit comedy The Guard. Set in Galway, the film finds unorthodox Garda Sergeant Gerry Boyle (Brendan Gleeson) teaming up with FBI agent Wendell Everett (Don Cheadle) to track a gang of drug dealers across the wilds of Connemara. Filled with blackly comic moments and quotable dialogue, The Guard is already considered a modern Irish classic.

Three diverse shorts covering different facets of the Irish experience will be screened prior to the film. Animated film Origin follows a young man on the brink of immigrating to Australia racing across Dublin, as unique animation resurrects the city's mythic origins.

Documentary short Home Turf follows a group of elderly men as they engage in the ancient art of cutting turf by hand in the shadow of modern machines. Filmed in Co Kerry, the film portrays the threat to this communal activity and the men's way of life.

Finally, Irish-language short Asal is the heartbreaking story of a young fisherman who risks his life to save a friend.

Melbourne-based lecturer Dr Liam Burke, who has programmed the event, said he was delighted to bring Irish film back to The Astor Theatre.

 "The Guard is one of the most successful Irish films of recent years and offers an insightful glimpse into Irish humour against the backdrop of the rugged Galway landscape. The three short films that will be screened cover a range of issues that will resonate with Irish emigrants, but will also showcase the best of Ireland and Irish filmmaking" Dr Burke added.

The Cork native, a media studies lecturer at Swinburne University of Technology, will introduce the screening.

The screening will take place at 2pm on Sunday, March 17. Tickets costing $15 for adults, $14 for students/seniors and concessions and $13 for pensioners and children are available from www.astortheatre.net.au.

• Watch a clip from The Girl With the Mechanical Maiden

• Watch a clip from Fear of Flying

• Award winning shorts at Tribeca qualify for
  consideration in the Short Films category of the Annual Academy Awards

The Tribeca Film Festival has announced that two Irish films, FEAR OF FLYING written and directed by Conor Finnegan and THE GIRL WITH THE MECHANICAL MAIDEN written and directed by Andrew Legge will screen as part of their short film line-up in New York this coming April.  Both films are in receipt of funding from Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board (IFB).

FEAR OF FLYING tells the story of a small bird which makes the decision not to migrate for winter due to his fear of flying. Miniature sets and hand-made puppets set the scene for the animation, while Mark Doherty (A Film with Me in it) voiced main character Dougal.

In THE GIRL WITH THE MECHANICAL MAIDEN, an inventor takes an unorthodox approach to childrearing after the death of his wife.

"The two shorts we selected are incredibly visual and emotionally captivating, indicative of the creativity we have often discovered in the Irish shorts." said Sharon Badal, TFF Director of Short Film Programming and Initiatives. "These short programs run quite the emotional gamut and we look forward to surprising our moviegoers with some very unique stories this year."

FEAR OF FLYING was funded by the Frameworks short film scheme funded by the IFB, RTÉ and the Arts Council. The film picked up the Best Animation Award at the Galway Film Fleadh and the LA Shorts Festival. THE GIRL WITH THE MECHANICAL MAIDEN was funded by the Arts Council and received DCP support from the IFB.

The recipients of the Tribeca Film Festival's Best Narrative Short award and Best Documentary Short award will qualify for consideration in the Short Films category of the Annual Academy Awards® without the standard theatrical run, provided the film otherwise complies with the Academy rules. Irish filmmaker Steph Green's Oscar nominated short film NEW BOY previously won the Best Narrative Short Film Award at Tribeca and went on to be nominated for an Oscar.

These two Irish short films were selected from more than 2870 submissions and will screen amongst films from 19 countries, including Australia, Canada, China, Cyprus, Finland, France, Hungary, Iraq, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Palestine, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, the United States and the United Kingdom.

Jimmy Deenihan TD, Minister for Arts , Heritage and the Gaeltacht has announced the seven people who will make up the new board for Bord Scannán na hÉireann/Irish Film Board.

Mr Bill O'Herlihy is the Chairman designate. In line with the procedures for such appointments, his position is to be confirmed by the Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht at a date to be arranged. The other six members of the board are Mr Maurice Sweeney, Dr Annie Doona, Mr John Rice, Ms Kate O'Toole, Mr Seamus Deasy and Ms Katie Holly. A short biography of each member is below.

Minister Deenihan commented:

"I am delighted that these seven very talented individuals have accepted my invitation to become members of the board of Bord Scannán na hÉireann/Irish Film Board. They are joining Bord Scannán na hÉireann/Irish Film Board at a very important time for Ireland's film and audiovisual sector.

"Supporting and creating employment - across all sectors - is a priority for this Government. The film and audiovisual sector is playing its part, and it is vital that we grow the contribution that this sector can make to Ireland's ongoing recovery.

"Under the Chairmanship of Bill O'Herlihy, and together with the experienced staff in Bord Scannán na hÉireann/Irish Film Board, I believe that the new board can be a catalyst to help the agency grow and develop and to nurture the next generation of audiovisual talent in Ireland".

James Hickey, Chief Executive, Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board said

"I very much welcome the appointment of the new IFB board members announced by the Minister Deenihan today. Together, they bring a wide diversity of talent and skills which will prove a great asset to the on-going work and strategic vision for BSÉ/IFB over the next four years."

New board Members for Bord Scannán na hÉireann/Irish Film Board

Chairman Designate, Mr Bill O'Herlihy
Bill O'Herlihy is a television broadcaster working for RTÉ, best known for being the chief presenter of the station's soccer coverage.  He has worked in broadcasting since the 1960s, and has been RTÉ's chief sports presenter for major events such as Olympic Games, FIFA World Cups, UEFA European Football Championships and European and World Track and Field Championships. Mr O'Herlihy won a Jacobs' Award for his presentation of Network 2's coverage of the 1990 FIFA World Cup, when Ireland reached the quarter-finals. Mr O'Herlihy is also a public relations executive.

Mr Maurice Sweeney (Documentary Filmmaker)
For the last ten years, Maurice Sweeney has been regarded as one of Ireland's leading documentary filmmakers. Having worked on diverse films from drama documentaries Cromwell In Ireland to creative portraits of Irish writer Flann O Brien and crime writer John Connolly, Mr Sweeney has just finished his first major drama feature, Saving The Titanic, to wide critical acclaim.  As a director, Mr Sweeney has won four IFTAS.  

Dr Annie Doona (Academic)
Dr Annie Doona is President of Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT). The National Film School is part of IADT since it was launched in November 2003. It is a centre of excellence for education and training in film, animation, broadcasting and digital media.

Mr John Rice (Animator)
John Rice is a company director, co-founder and CEO of JAM Media, an award winning animation company which creates, develops and produces its own entertainment brands. Mr Rice began his animation career in feature film working at 20th Century Fox in the States working as an animator on films such as Anastasia and Titan AE. This was followed by a stint at MTV in New York where he spent two years as a character designer on a number of well-known projects. To date JAM's entertainment brands have been licensed to over 70 territories, translated into 23 languages and can be seen by over 120 million people.

Ms Kate O'Toole (Actress)
Kate O'Toole is an Irish actress. Among other films she has appeared in Dancing at Lughnasa, Eden, 32a, Hideaways and John Huston's last film, The Dead. Her stage work includes Terry Johnson's Dead Funny with Rough Magic Theatre Co. (Irish Times Theatre Awards nomination for Best Actress), Edward Albee's Three Tall Women at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast (awarded Best Actress UK at the Arts Council/TMA Theatre Awards). She starred opposite Albert Finney in Ronald Harwood's Reflected Glory in London's West End where she has also performed leading roles in Vanbrugh's The Provok'd Wife, Molière's Don
Juan and Summer and Smoke by Tennessee Williams. She has toured Ireland extensively in numerous productions with Druid Theatre Co. and with Field Day Theatre Co. and was last seen on stage as Mrs Leaf in The Picture of Dorian Gray at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin. 

Television credits include Showtime's The Tudors, BBC sitcom Get Well Soon, RTE's Glenroe and most recently Titanic: Blood and Steel. She is board chairwoman of the Galway Film Fleadh. Her parents are the actors Siân Phillips and Peter O'Toole.

Mr Seamus Deasy (Cinematographer)
Award winning cinematographer, Seamus Deasy has been nominated for five Irish Film and Television Awards including Best Director of Photography (Film/TV Drama) for Neverland (2011), Best Director of Photography for A Film with Me in It (2008), Best Cinematography for The Mighty Celt (2005),  Best Craft Achievement - Film for When the Sky Falls (2000) and Best Craft Contribution for The General (1998). Mr Deasy is the winner of the 2005 IFTA Award for Best Cinematography for The Tiger's Tail (2006).

Katie Holly (Producer)
Katie Holly is MD of Bl!nder Films where she has produced award-winning films which have screened at numerous international festival including Edinburgh, Seattle, Slamdance, Rotterdam, London, Toronto and sxsw. Her debut feature One Hundred Mornings received a Special Jury Award at the 2010 Slamdance Film Festival and an IFTA for best cinematography.  Feature credits include Sensation, Come on Eileen, and Citadel.  Ms Holly began her career at Treasure Entertainment in 2001 where she worked on films such as Man About Dog, The Mighty Celt and Shrooms.

As the world begins to celebrate St Patrick’s day we thought it appropriate to highlight a short film from the IFB ‘Ireland I Love You’ strand of short films funded under the Frameworks short film scheme.

ORIGIN is a beautiful animated short film from James Stacey which tell the story of a young man on the brink of emigration, but as he races through the streets of Dublin he comes to realise the spirit he is leaving behind. The film is produced by SoulJacker and co-written by James Stacey and Matthew Darragh.

Watch the film on the IFB short film channel

The Irish Film Board is proud to support the 7th annual Dingle International Film Festival which takes place from the 15th - 18th March. The festival promises to showcase a great mix of feature films, documentaries and shorts as well as industry events and workshops. 

First up on Friday will see a screening of Niall McCann's documentary  Art Will Save the World which will be followed by a panel session entitled The Next Step. This panel discussion will be based on a filmmaker’s possible ‘Next Step’ in approaching a documentary feature film. 

Other documentaries to screen include Keith Walsh and Jill Beardsworth's Apples of the Golan and Sophie Fiennes' Perverts Guide to Ideology. Director Sophie Fiennes and producer Katie Holly will take part in a public interview on Sunday afternoon.

Animation Dingle, a day dedicated to all things animation, will bring together in Dingle for one day  the top animation companies working in Ireland, giving them a platform to showcase their current work and discuss their future plans.

The festival will also showcase a terrific mix of Irish short films showcasing the very best of short filmmaking in Ireland.

For more information about the exciting weekend ahead visit http://www.dinglefilmfestival.com/

The National Film School in association with Bord Scannán na hEireann/the Irish Film Board is delighted to have the IFTA winning Production Designer Mark Geraghty speak next month as part of the Lecture Series. 

Mark Geraghty is one of Ireland's most experienced production designers and has won IFTA Awards for Jim Sheridan's Get Rich or Die Tryin' and Ripper Street (BBC). Other credits include: The Van and The Snapper (both directed by Stephen Frears); Michael Winterbottom's Welcome to Sarajevo; Kevin Reynolds's The Count of Monte Cristo; Jim Sheridan's In America; Pat O'Connor's Dancing at Lughnasa; and The Eclipse and The Actors (both directed by Conor McPherson). His most recent work includes: Anand Tucker's Leap Year; Death of a Superhero; and John Michael McDonagh's Calvary, currently in post- production.

This NFS Lecture will be on the location for Ripper Street, as Mark preps Series II. Places will be limited - please contact donald.taylorblack@iadt.ie if you are interested in attending.

Date: Wednesday, 10^th April.

Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board (BSÉ/IFB) have announced today the reopening of the International Production Fund, to assist Irish producers in attracting major international film and television projects to undertake production in Ireland.  The fund is worth €500,000.

Large scale productions which have shot in Ireland in the last couple of years as a result of the fund include VIKINGS created and written by Michael Hirst (The Tudors, Camelot), BBC dramas RIPPER STREET starring Matthew Macfayden (Pride and Prejudice)and LOVING MISS HATTO scripted by Victoria Wood along with the Jimi Hendrix biopic ALL IS BY MY SIDE starring Outkast's Andre Benjamin (aka Andre 3000).

The fund aims to deliver a strong return to the Irish economy on BSÉ/IFB investment, with an emphasis placed on the employment of Ireland's highly qualified personnel in front of and behind the camera and high levels of spend on Irish facilities and services.

James Hickey, Chief Executive, BSÉ/IFB said:  "The IFB International Production Fund is focused on job creation and exports and to date has contributed to a number of large scale production, delivering a strong return to the Irish economy."

The fund has resulted in creating important opportunities for Irish writers, directors and cast and crew to produce work that builds on their world class reputation. Irish director Ciarán Donnelly, production designer Tom Conroy and costume designer Joan Bergin were attached to VIKINGS, director Colm McCarthy and production designer Mark Geraghty along with Irish actress Charlene McKenna were attached to RIPPER STREET while Aisling Walsh (Song For A Raggy Boy) directed LOVING MISS HATTO.

The closing date for first round applications is April 22^nd 2013.

Find out more about the International Production Fund and its criteria in the Funding Programmes section of the website.

Award-winning Irish Animation Studio Prickly Pear Productions launched their biggest project to date at the specialist European co-production and Distribution forum Cartoon Movie earlier this month.

Paperboy is an exciting animated action adventure for family audiences, developed from Prickly Pear's award winning short film Paperman, which has already been selected for forty international festivals, and continues to be much in demand, with a competition screening coming up at the Bucharest International Film Festival, and participation in the 2nd Annual Irish Film Festival in Delhi India.

The project's creators, distinguished animator designer and director Richard Kelly and award winning writer and director Sean William Ryan were always convinced that the idea behind their short film had all the necessary ingredients for a truly international full length feature; having written a treatment they enlisted the help of the experienced and highly successful writer and script editor Richard Hansom to work on a draft screenplay. When the project was selected for Cartoon Movie the Irish Film Board stepped in with a development loan and a trailer was produced for the screening.

Kelly and Ryan found a warm response to their project from potential distributors and co-producers; they are currently working to complete the screenplay and further develop the visual aspects of the film with Dublin based 3D house, Giant.

Says Kelly "Its hugely encouraging that so many others have seen the potential of our slightly crazy idea and are willing to buy into a world where an oppressed human population are living in a city mostly made from recycled paper alongside a secret world of funny and unlikely paper characters who eventually set them free" Ryan comments "There's so much potential for comedy in the characters and the world, and it makes a great setting for a classic 'David and Goliath" story where the little people take on and defeat some truly scary baddies. We truly believe the idea has real international appeal.'

The team, also now including Producer Richard Morss who has an extensive background in animation are capitalising on the momentum created by the short and the Cartoon Movie presentation, and pushing ahead with a funding campaign in parallel with the continued development, hoping to have the full production structure in place by this time next year ready for production in 2014-6.

To view the short visit www.pricklypearproductions.ie

To view the Paperboy trailer visit www.paperboythemovie.com

For more information
Contacts: richard@pricklypearproductions.ie    
richardm@pricklypearproductions.ie

The 2nd Irish Film Festival of India will be launched by H. E. Feilim McLaughlin, Ambassador of Ireland to India in Delhi on April 1st at the India Habitat Centre and runs until April 4th before travelling for further screenings at the National Gallery for Modern Art, Bangalore (10-11) and The Metro Big Cinema in Mumbai (17-18).

Following the success of the inaugural festival, entitled 'The Writing Irish', a celebration of the great Irish writers in film, the event returns with a focus more on the picture than the word, by presenting over 40 feature and short ANIMATED films from Ireland.

The Irish Film Festival of India's "Drawing on our Experience" offers the Indian audience a first chance to see a varied selection of award-winning animations from the Oscar-Nominated feature The Secret of Kells to the cutting edge aesthetic of U2's video-maker David O'Reilly.

Many of the films screened are by companies who now produce top-rated series for the biggest TV channels in the world including BBC, Disney Junior, and Nickelodeon and many do so in partnership with Indian Studios making animation a rare but clearly successful example of creative Irish-Indian collaboration. 

Festival director, Marc-Ivan O'Gorman, has been working in TV & Film in India for 10 years believes animation will go down well in India, saying 'These films will do what Irish art, indeed what Irish people do best, they will both charm and challenge.' 

This event is presented by Cleverality Productions with the support of The Embassy of Ireland India,The Irish Film Institute, and Culture Ireland.

For more details on the festival and the films please visit:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Irish.Film.Festival.India 
Twitter: http://twitter.com/IrishFilmIndia
Blog: http://irishfilmfestivalofindia.com/

• 1. Preference will be shown to applicant companies that have completed at least one official Irish-Canadian co-production under the bilateral treaty that exists between our two countries.
• 2. An applicant company should preferably be a client of the Irish Film Board, with at least one project in active development or in receipt of a production loan offer.
• 3. An applicant company should preferably have at least one TV project in active development with an Irish or international broadcaster.
• 4. The company representative joining the delegation should be a senior producer, production executive or development executive.

How to Apply

If you believe you meet the criteria, please email Naoise.Barry@IrishFilmBoard.ie by 6pm on Friday 26^th April 2013, with your expression of interest. Emails received after this deadline will not be considered.

Please include "Banff Trade Mission Application" in the subject line, along with the following information in the body of your email:

• 1. Your company name.
• 2. The name of the participant from your company - maximum is 1.
• 3. The job title of the participant.
• 4. A detailed explanation of why you think participation in this trade mission will be of benefit to your company, addressing in detail each eligibility criteria 1-4 above. Ensure you supply details of the official Irish/Canadian co-productions that you have structured in the past.
• 5. Provide the title(s) of the project(s) in development with the IFB, Irish or international broadcaster that you believe can be furthered through Banff participation.

You will be informed of the success or otherwise of your application no later than Friday 3^rd May 2013.

There are a number of changes to Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board's Distribution Funding.

The funding previously called Marketing Support will now be known as Distribution Support. 

Both Print Provision Festival funding and Print Provision Theatrical funding have now ceased until further notice.

For all enquiries regarding Distribution Support and Direct Distribution,
please contact Emma Scott, Production Executive emma.scott@irishfilmboard.ie