North Rhine-Westphalia's regional film fund Filmstiftung NRW and the Irish Film Board have signed a cooperation agreement to support producers working together on feature films and documentaries.

An agreement based on reciprocity was signed in Cologne on Monday afternoon during this year's Medienforum NRW conference by the Irish Film Board's CEO Simon Perry and his opposite number at Filmstiftung NRW Michael Schmid-Ospach.

The goal is to 'intensify the cultural and economic collaboration of production companies in NRW and Ireland, thereby contributing to a strengthening of the creative and economic potential in Europe.'

Past co-productions between North Rhine-Westphalia and Ireland have included Ken Loach's Palme D'Or winner The Wind That Shakes The Barley, Michael Glawogger's Das Vaterspiel and Steve Hudson's True North.