NI film industry has boosted the economy by £330m since 2018

Movie and screen productions filmed in Northern Ireland have directly boosted the local economy by £330m since 2018, according to new figures.

And a new four-year strategy from Northern Ireland Screen entitled Stories, Skills and Sustainability is aiming to increase that figure by 40% to £430m by 2026.

Despite pandemic-related challenges, the combined budgets for productions supported by Northern Ireland Screen during its 'Opening Doors Phase II' 2018-22 strategy was more than a billion pounds, with a third of that staying in the local economy.

Revealed at an event in the Waterfront Hall, the new strategy set out a number of other pledges including more than doubling Northern Ireland Screen’s skills budget to £4m a year, moving Nerve Belfast to W5 and continuing to create ‘ladders for the next generation of story tellers and creating an eco-system that can help produce the next Lisa McGee’.

Other commitments included continuing the short film funding, script development funding and New Talent Focus, expanding Northern Ireland Screen’s partnership with the BBC, sustaining the Into Film’s ScreenWorks work experience programme as well as introducing environmental sustainability.

The ongoing importance of Moving Image Arts GCSE and A Level and the emphasis on the innovative growth driven by Studio Ulster, Ulster University’s virtual production facility at Belfast Harbour Studios, also featured.

At the recent launch, Northern Ireland Screen also celebrated the success of the industry over the last four years, reflecting on huge hits like Lisa McGee’s Derry Girls, Kenneth Branagh’s Oscar for Belfast, record audiences for Line of Duty and Bloodlands and the upcoming release of Netflix’s The School for Good and Evil.

It also highlighted the great strides made within the games cluster in the north with Soft Leaf Studios, Level 91 Entertainment and Bellular Studios showcasing their games to the large screen industry audience.

Northern Ireland Screen also stressed the critical importance of preserving and showcasing Northern Ireland’s rich moving image archive with footage from its Digital Film Archive on display.

Ministers for the Economy and Communities have endorsed the launch of Stories, Skills and Sustainability which is strongly aligned to DfE’s 10X strategy and DfC’s focus on tackling inequalities.

Highlighting the ‘big part’ the new strategy has to play in delivering the objectives set out in the 10x Vision, Economy Minister Gordon Lyons MLA, said: “I have had the opportunity to visit some of the productions supported by Northern Ireland Screen and I have seen at first hand the impact that these investments have.

"The scale of the largest productions is really something that you cannot fully appreciate until you see ‘behind the camera’ and it is clear to me that our screen industries will be a focus for growth as we deliver the Department’s 10x Economic Vision. These productions provide highly skilled job opportunities, placements to develop our growing screen workforce, and establish significant supply chains that all contribute to stronger economic activity.

“The 10x Vision aims to deliver innovative, inclusive and sustainable growth and Stories, Skills and Sustainability has a big part to play in delivering those objectives for the screen industries. I am pleased to be able to announce £4.8m to enable the first year of the strategy to be delivered in full to ensure it gets off to the best possible start.”

Outlining the need to ‘ keep developing our amazing pool of local talent’, Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey MLA, explained: “Our story here is of world-class filmmakers, producers, actors, animators and game designers. Many high-profile productions made on these shores have recently made an impact across the globe.

“My Department has been working with Northern Ireland Screen to keep developing our amazing pool of local talent. I am pleased to see so many young people develop skills and build career pathways so that they can reach their full potential, regardless of their background. The emphasis and energy that NI Screen programmes place on attracting participation from underrepresented groups is a particular strength of the education programme.

“Partnership is key to future success, for the screen industry and for our community. I am pleased to continue to provide support to ensure a strong and vibrant industry that benefits lives and livelihoods, now and for future generations.”

However Richard Williams, chief executive of Northern Ireland Screen recognised the ‘big challenges ahead’ however underlined the need to ‘keep chasing the opportunities and upskilling our workforce’.

He stated: “We are delighted to launch our new strategy and share our ambition for the future of the screen industry in Northern Ireland.

“While we recognise that there is considerable market turbulence right now and that there are big challenges ahead, we are confident that there will still be sufficient opportunities for the industry to continue to grow and we will do what we can to assist with these challenges. We must keep chasing the opportunities and upskilling our workforce because there are many more stories that need to be told.”

Thanking everyone for their ongoing support, Richard, added: “We are incredibly grateful to the Department for Economy and Department for Communities for their continued support as we endeavour to become the strongest screen industry in the UK and Ireland outside of London.”

Northern Ireland Screen is the national screen agency for Northern Ireland.