Boost for NI film industry

Lord Attenborough's film is to get a £500,000 investment

Northern Ireland's future as a film making centre is getting a major boost with the announcement at the Cannes film festival of a cash injection of £2m for six new movies.

The Northern Ireland Film and Television Commission (NIFC) is revealing its plans in France for the films which are expected to be shot in the province within the next year.

The money is provided by Invest Northern Ireland to develop the industry, and £5.5m is to be spent over the next three years.

It is anticipated that the production fund will attract more film makers to use Northern Ireland locations as well as skilled local workers.

One recent movie partly filmed in the province was Blind Flight, the story of the Beirut hostages Brian Keenan and John McCarthy.

FILMS BEING FUNDED Closing the Ring directed by Lord Attenborough - £500,000 Film version of the Marie Jones play Stones in his Pockets - £500,000 Valhalla by Pearse Elliot, about a Belfast greyhound owner - £250,000 Baby Baby by Scott Morgan, about 3 Belfast women in a girl band - £250,000 Middletown by Michael Casey, about a preacher who returns to Mid Ulster - £250,000 Next Stop Paradise from Lars Von Trier's production company about an old people's home - £250,000

One of the main beneficiaries is Closing the Ring, which is being directed and co-produced by Lord Attenborough.

Although the £500,000 grant is a mere fraction of the film's expected £13.5m cost, it is enough to ensure some of the filming is done in Northern Ireland.

Another £500,000 is going to a film version of the hit play Stones in his Pockets.

Four smaller films will each receive £250,000.

NIFC Chief Executive Richard Williams said five of the six films featured Northern Ireland in their storylines.

"We're in the business of encouraging people to shoot here, to exploit our locations, to use our crews and spend money in our towns and cities," he said.

The film commission has virtually decamped to Cannes for the festival.

We are going to say 'we've got money and we want to give it to you' Colin Anderson Northern Ireland Film Commission

Its honorary president, the Belfast-born actor and director, Kenneth Branagh, has travelled with them.

"The important thing is that it allows Northern Ireland to form partnerships with all sorts of international production companies," he said.

"One of the main things it's trying to do is get international co-productions into the province.

"For the price of what the Northern Ireland Film Commission has invested, the potential for those films to spend much more in Ireland is huge."

International marketplace

Although £2m is a pittance in film making budget terms, it can still be a big attraction, and another £3.5m will be made available over the next few years.

The commission's chairman, Colin Anderson, says they are expecting to find themselves popular in Cannes with film makers desperate for funding.

"This is the first time that Northern Ireland has had the opportunity of going to the Cannes film festival and say something really positive," he said.

Belfast-born actor Kenneth Branagh is commission honorary president

"We are going to say 'we've got money and we want to give it to you'.

"We want to give it in a way which will make them want to invest in Northern Ireland, as we are out to compete on the international marketplace."

As well as celebrating the production funding, Northern Ireland film makers are in France to try to sell locally-made movies.

These include Freeze Frame, which was filmed in Crumlin Road jail, and Mickeybo and Me, filmed around Belfast.