AQO 6211/11-15

Mr Stewart Dickson
Alliance Party
East Antrim

Tabled Date: 15/05/2014
Answered On Date: 27/05/2014
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what action she has taken to ensure that sufficient arts and cultural facilities are available for future screen and television productions.

Answer:

I am not aware of any limitations to arts or culture infrastructure which have hindered or could hinder film productions here, or any evidence that the arts and cultural sector is not supportive of film production.

NI Screen has been extremely successful in attracting a growing number of high profile productions to the north of Ireland in recent years. For example, even aside from the phenomenally successful Game of Thrones, we have seen the filming of City of Ember, Your Highness, Dracula Untold, Hunger, The Fall and Oscar winning short film The Shore. The film industry has contributed approximately £121m to the local economy over the last four years. This highlights the quality of what we have to offer as a location.

NI Screen has implemented key multi-channel campaigns to showcase the benefits of the North as a centre for independent film, television and new media production, selling our location, funding opportunities and facilities to the global screen industry, and will continue to do so throughout the course of its new strategy ‘Opening Doors’. It has recently announced that the feature film High-Rise, featuring Sienna Millar and Jeremy Irons, will begin filming in Co. Down in July.

In terms of facilities available to productions, NI Screen offers a brochure detailing not only Titanic Studios, but other diverse studio and build spaces such as The Linen Mill (Co. Down), KBL Mill in Ballyclare, and Kilroot, which was used in the feature film Hunger.

Due to the growing success and expansion of the film industry in the north, NI Screen, in conjunction with Invest NI, is currently looking into options to increase the available infrastructure, in particular with regard to sound stages, to maximize our ability to attract future productions.