Following a year's preparatory work and international research the formal setting up of the Screen Directors' Guild of Ireland (SDGI) has been announced.

Following a Founder Members' meeting held at the end of November, an eight strong board - each the director of at least one feature film - was approved. The board comprises: Lance Daly, Martin Duffy, Margo Harkin, Neil Jordan, Mark Kilroy, Trish McAdam, Pat Murphy, and Jim Sheridan.

SDGI is the first representative body for film directors in Ireland, where producers and screenwriters are already represented by, respectively, Film Makers Ireland and the Irish Playwrights and Screenwriters Guild (IPSG).

In a statement announcing its establishment SDGI signals its intention to give Irish directors "a strong representative voice in crucial debates on the future of film culture and the development of the industry in Ireland and Europe," and to "collectively protect and enhance the role and rights of directors at home and abroad."