Northern Ireland Screen has unveiled its strategy for 2026-30, The Full Picture, with key goals including establishing an all-island co-funding mechanism with Screen Ireland and exploring cash-flowing the UK tax credit for some Northern Irish feature films.
The agency noted that cash-flowing the UK tax credit will target a small number of local films where market gaps exist.
An all-island co-funding mechanism will aim to maximise the dual incentives. Producers in the north and south of Ireland have been calling for a more streamlined way of working across both sides of the border, and greater alignment between Northern Ireland Screen and Screen Ireland’s ways of working to allow for easier co-production. Some progress was made last year with the establishment of Coimisiún na Meán’s €14m Shared Island Media Fund.
Further priorities include championing Irish-language drama, introducing a distribution support fund for indigenous features, deepening relationships with international broadcasters and streamers to reduce reliance on UK broadcaster commissions, normalising ethical AI adoption sector-wide and growing virtual production studio Studio Ulster.
Northern Ireland Screen-backed projects have generated £477m for the local economy across four years (2022-26), beating its target of £442m by £35m.
These projects include Universal’s How To Train Your Dragon and Curzon/Wildcard’s Kneecap, as well as TV series such as Channel 4’s Derry Girls, Netflix’s How To Get To Heaven From Belfast and BBC’s Blue Lights, with production of series one and two of HBO’s A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms estimated to have returned more than £60m to the economy.
TV drama particularly outperformed targets, with a spend of £173m against a target of £67m across the four years.
However, the strategy acknowledged “diminished success in attracting $80-100+ million feature films due to UK and global competition and an overall reduction in demand”. To rectify this, the strategy said Northern Ireland Screen will “seek to extend visibility and representation in Los Angeles”, “commit development funding to large-scale projects created by Northern Ireland residents” and “seek to sustain our reputation for fantasy/medieval set projects”.
It also acknowledged the consolidation pressures facing independent producers, citing a Pact report that said over 70% of small indies UK-wide were at risk of closure in 2025. “Regional players must differentiate through strong creative IP and talent pipelines and by utilising co-production models and levering regional investment in skills and infrastructure (e.g. Studio Ulster as a hub for virtual production and R&D),” stated the strategy.
Northern Ireland Screen is the lead body for film, TV and digital content in Northern Ireland, and receives support from Department for the Economy and the Department for Communities with additional support from the BFI and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. It had a budget of £72m for content development and production over the past four years, with next year’s budget yet to be confirmed.
No comments yet