In the final run up to the Irish Presidential election, Michael D. is hopeful that the Irish Film and Television Industry and community will show their support to him on Election day.
Over the past few weeks support for Higgins within the film & television community has been gathering momentum as industry colleagues remember the great work and contribution Mr. Higgins has given to the industry over the years.
During his time as Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht Mr. Higgins made some very significant and bold decisions such as the re-establishment of The Irish Film Board, key improvements to the Irish film tax incentive Section 481 and the founding of Irish Language Television station Telifís na Gaeilge (now TG4). Michael D. has also introduced the establishment of long-term training policies for the industry through Screen Training Ireland, lifted the censorship put in place by Section 31 of the Broadcasting Act and has been personally involved in bringing ‘Braveheart’ to Ireland in 1994, which opened the gate to numerous other Hollywood productions choosing to film in Ireland over the years.
"I greatly appreciate the support I am getting from the film and audio visual industry. My overriding vision was always to establish a strong indigenous industry, expressing itself in both Irish and English. To achieve this, we needed to attract large foreign productions to upskill our talented practitioners, and the range of incentives which I introduced as Minister in the 1990s were designed to facilitate these twin objectives.
"Film was worth €11 million when I first became Minister and €186 million when I left five years later. Now the Irish audio visual sector has grown to about €390 million and continues to thrive. Thanks to the work of many imaginative and committed people, the industry now provides employment opportunities in every part of Ireland and is recognised for excellence on the world stage. That set of incentives which I introduced are in place to this day and have been emulated worldwide. I am confident that film will continue to grow and develop in new and wonderful ways in the years ahead and would like to thank all those within the industry who have supported my vision and my campaign for the Presidency."
A number of industry practitioners convened at a recent industry event for Michael D including Morgan O’Sullivan (The Tudors, King Arthur), who says “Michael D. Higgins has shown his loyalty to this industry not only during his time as Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht when he made key decisions and improvements, but also in his constant support for Arts and Culture over the decades.”
