The Media Programme has confirmed Euros 1.07m in development funding for 14 Irish film and television companies.

Ten of the companies have received slate funding support which will take the form of a rolling credit line over the next three years. They are Element Films, Fastnet Films, Octagon Film Productions, Tyrone Productions, Banjax Ltd, Crossing the Line, Frontier Films, Paradox Pictures, Telegael Teo, and Brown Bag Films.

Eight Irish companies have also benefited from the television broadcasting support scheme with awards totalling Euros 1.06m. The successful companies are Ferndale Films, Planet Rock, Brown Bag Films, Crossing the Line Films, Concordia, Tile Films, Terraglyph and Little Bird.

Little Bird, Octagon, and Element are also participants in the Irish Film Board's Company Development Initiative, a three-year slate development scheme which commenced in June of this year. The Film Board will announce a second phase company slate development initiative for "emergent companies" early in 2003.

Tyrone Productions CEO Siún Ni Raghallaigh said, "This funding, which endorses the quality of our slate of projects, draws us closer to our longer term goal of creating an Irish based international media company which produces and distributes entertainment, drama and documentary/factual programming."

Speaking on behalf of Element Films Joint Managing Director Andrew Lowe said, "The support from the MEDIA Programme is a vital component in the development funding that Element requires to enable it to develop a slate of projects with real commercial potential."

Siobhan O'Donoghue, Chief Executive, MEDIA Desk Ireland said, "The Euros 2.13m injection into Ireland represents a record result and underpins the key role of European MEDIA funding for the Irish Film and Television Sector."