Despite the fact that the Irish Film Industry has been the subject of a much publicised 'boom' over the past five years, it is still the case that the amount of Irish films produced far outweighs the amount of Irish films that actually reach cinema screens around the country. The reason for this? Poor quality? Unrealistic expectations on the part of filmmakers? Unwillingness on the part of distributors and exhibitors to pick up and screen Irish product? Or is it simply that Irish audiences do not wish to see indigenous productions in their local multiplex? The answer seems to be all of the above. While "Irish" films such as The Boxer and The Butcher Boy (which were both shot in Ireland but funded by US studios) raise awareness (and indeed expectations) of the Irish industry, the fact is that there are many films which will quite probably never see the light of a projector outside of obligatory festival screenings. Niamh McCaul, Head of Marketing for Clarence Pictures, feels that the reasons for this anomaly are numerous. Clarence Pictures, who have substantial experience in distributing Irish movies, have recently scored a hit with Pat O'Connor's Dancing at Lughnasa. At time of writing, after twelve weeks on release in this country, the film has grossed an impressive IR£650,000.
"A lot of Irish movies are not good enough to be commerical, and a lot aren't good enough to be classed as arthouse. Most fall between two stools," says Ms. McCaul. "Producers are not aware of the distribution set-up; they think it's easy to get bookings in cinemas, and can be unaware of the limited commercial appeal of smaller movies. Just because it's Irish, it won't necessarily work." Clarence have had varied box-office success with their Irish movies. One of their least successful titles (financially) was Words Upon the Windowpane, Mary McGuckian's dbut. "We felt it was an important title for us," says McCaul. "We will pick up titles we feel are unusual or original - we are being asked to consider about two films a month now."
Are these films simply being made for the pleasure (or otherwise) of festival audiences? Or with the now highly proactive Sky Movie Channel purchasing films to broadcast as "UK exclusives" (recent examples include The Nephew and This is My Father), will producers consider this a realistic alternative to theatrical distribution? Irish offices of multinational distributors don't seem to think so. Buena Vista International (Ireland) have recently picked up the Aidan Quinn starrer This is My Father for Irish release, and United International Pictures had bought the Pierce Brosnan produced The Nephew, long before Sky showed an interest (the subsequent purchase of the film by Sky led to much confusion in both Ireland and the UK amongst exhibitors).
There is a serious backlog of Irish produced films awaiting either distribution deals or even agreements with exhibitors. Tackling distributors can be a difficult task for producers, one which has become easier in recent years with Buena Vista Ireland, Clarence Pictures and Dublin Film Distributors all becoming more aggressive in picking up Irish titles; however, the sheer volume of unreleased Irish movies is testament to the fact that the system cannot cater for everything. One producer, Graham Jones (How to Cheat in the Leaving Certificate), having unsuccessfully shopped his film around distribs, decided to go it alone and release the film himself, albeit with the support of some exhibitors. The title performed relatively well and has recently been acquired by Clarence Pictures for video release. Why did Clarence not wish to purchase the theatrical rights to the film? "We felt that it had limited theatrical potential, and we disagreed with the producers on how well it would do," says Niamh McCaul. "We felt that the title and genre was more suited to a video release." One thousand units of the film are currently on video store shelves around the country.
With the recent acquisition by Buena Vista of Johnny Gogan's The Last Bus Home, a ripple of hope has passed through many film-makers who have films languishing in obscurity for relatively long periods of time. This particular title was produced in late 1996, and following a screening at the Cannes Festival in May 1997 the producers have been actively seeking a distribution deal. Screened to mixed reviews in Cannes, the producers shopped the title around for over twelve months before Buena Vista finally bit.
A possible solution to the difficulties faced by film-makers, particularly those assisted by the Irish Film Board, would be to have the Board take a more active part in securing distribution deals for films which they have backed, or indeed create their own distribution arm. The idea of a national distribution vehicle, similar perhaps to the British Film Institute, has long been bandied around industry circles. Just who would create and maintain this organisation? It is obvious that such an organisation would require substantial funding - who would provide this funding? The organisation would almost definitely be a loss-making venture for the forseeable future; as such, would it be simply seen as a token gesture towards Irish film-makers who "can't do any better"? The bottom line seems to be that all parties concerned - producers, distributors and exhibitors, need to have realistic expectations of their product. After all, who wants a situation where the Irish market is flooded with below-par indigenous films that nobody wants to see?
Glenn Hogarty 23/12/98
