#Industry: New Audiovisual Coproduction Treaty between Ireland and Canada comes into force

#Industry: New Audiovisual Coproduction Treaty between Ireland and Canada comes into force

The Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Heather Humphreys, has announced that the new Audiovisual Coproduction Treaty between Ireland and Canada has come into force. It replaces the 1989 Coproduction Treaty and substantially updates and improves arrangements for feature films, TV dramas and documentaries which are coproduced by Irish and Canadian production companies.

The new Treaty will continue to enable audiovisual works to be recognised as both Irish and Canadian and thus allow film makers to access the various financial supports and benefits in each territory. It also introduces changes to the minimum levels of financial contributions from each coproduction partner and the levels of creative contributions required from each territory. This will facilitate even greater cooperation between production companies in Ireland and Canada in the future.

Ireland and Canada have a strong working partnership on co-productions, having produced the Oscar nominated films Room and Brooklyn in most recent times, as well as TV series Vikings, The Tudors, and The Borgias. Irish/Canadian co-productions are becoming even more prevalent, with Alan Gilsenan’s Unless, Juanita Wilson’s Tomato Red and Gerard Barrett’s Brain on Fire all slated for release soon.

Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Heather Humphreys said:

This updated Coproduction Treaty is another positive step forward for the Irish film and TV sector. Coproduction is increasingly becoming the norm and treaties such as this one are very important for enabling international film productions. Ireland and Canada already have a strong coproduction tradition, with over 30 feature films and TV dramas produced in the last ten years under the 1989 Treaty. I hope this new updated Treaty will lead to even more coproductions for our audiovisual sector.

James Hickey CEO of the Irish Film Board Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland (FÉ/SI) is the national development agency for Irish filmmaking and the Irish film, television and animation industry. said: