Tracy Geraghty has stepped down as director of Irish producers' association Screen Producers Ireland (SPI) as of August 1 after seven months in the job.

According to sources it was a decision arrived at "mutually" with the board of SPI. The SPI board will consider the development along with other business at its scheduled meeting next week and will not be issuing a statement on the matter.

Geraghty was appointed director of SPI, previously called Film Makers Ireland, at the end of November 2002. SPI represents 225 feature film, TV and animation production companies in Ireland, and seeks to "create an improved environment for producers which will assist growth in the industry."

Geraghty joined SPI just as the Irish government signalled that the Section 481 tax incentive for film would be terminated at the end of 2004. The government was also advised to abolish the Irish Film Board by a panel investigating budgetary expenditure for 2003.

The producers' association responded by commissioning research over a six-month period, leading to the publication on June 30 of its "Sheridan Report". This set out the benefits of Section 481 and detailed the likely damage to the industry in Ireland should it be lost. While the report received considerable publicity in the local media the Irish government has yet to respond.

Prior to joining SPI Geraghty was programme manager with North by Northwest, the Denmark-based script development programme. Previously she worked with Eurimages and the Irish Film Board.