Why Ireland Is Thriving as a Film Hub
为何爱尔兰成为电影制作中心的繁荣之地
“You can literally film anything in Ireland that you want to — obviously desert scenes are a bit complicated, but we’ll have a go.” In this quick quip, veteran Irish producer Tristan Orpen Lynch sums up so much about his home country’s movie business right now. A fresh swell of opportunity and confidence may be swirling through it, thanks to the government’s decision to allow producers to claim back 32 percent of any spend on film, TV and animation to $134 million, up from $75 million. However, insiders say it’s actually in the midst of a deeper sea change built upon decades of investment, support and training — always combined with the nation’s innate charm and visually striking locales.
“在爱尔兰，你可以拍摄任何你想要的场景——当然，沙漠风光可能会有些复杂，但我们值得一试。”资深爱尔兰制片人特里斯坦·奥彭·林奇（Tristan Orpen Lynch）这句话，可谓一语道破了如今爱尔兰电影业的现状。得益于政府将电影、电视和动画制作的税收抵扣上限从7500万英镑提升到1.34亿英镑，这里的机遇和信心似乎正在激增。然而，业内人士表示，这其实是一场深层次的变革，它源于几十年来的持续投资、支持和培训，再加上国家与生俱来的魅力和视觉上的吸引力。
In 2021, the Irish screen industry rapidly bounced back after COVID to generate €500 million ($547m) local spend, its highest ever and 40 percent more than the last record set in 2019. Roll on 2023, and more Irish talent — including Colin Farrell, Martin McDonagh, Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan, and Paul Mescal — and locally shot productions like The Irish Goodbye, first-ever Irish-language International Oscar nominee, An Cailín Ciúin (The Quiet Girl) and The Banshees of Inisherin were up for more Academy Awards than any ceremony ever before: 14 in total. This has been followed by only two fewer nominations in 2024, with Cillian Murphy landing a best actor Oscar and the surprise four-gong success of Irish studio Element Pictures’ co-production Poor Things, also shot by nominated Dubliner Robbie Ryan. Elsewhere, Irish/Northern Irish co-production Kneecap became the first ever Irish-language film at the Sundance Film Festival, and Cillian Murphy’s Small Things Like These was the first Irish
2021年，爱尔兰影视行业在新冠疫情后迅速反弹，创造了高达5亿欧元（54.7亿美元）的本地支出，创历史新高，比2019年的上一个纪录增长了40%。展望2023年，包括科林·法瑞尔、马丁·麦登、凯瑞·康顿、巴里·基奥汉和保罗·梅斯卡尔在内的更多爱尔兰人才以及在当地拍摄的作品，如首部获得国际奥斯卡提名的爱尔兰语电影《安静的女孩》(An Cailín Ciúin) 和《Inisherin的女巫们》(The Banshees of Inisherin)，在奥斯卡奖上的提名数量打破了历史记录：总计14项。2024年，这一势头延续，仅少了两部提名，希里安·墨菲凭借最佳男主角赢得了奥斯卡，而爱尔兰工作室Element Pictures的合制片《可怜的东西》(Poor Things)也出人意料地获得了四项大奖，导演罗比·瑞安(Robbie Ryan)同样获得了提名。此外，爱尔兰/北爱尔兰合拍片《膝盖》(Kneecap)成为首部参加圣丹斯电影节的爱尔兰语电影，希里安·墨菲的《这样的小事》(Small Things Like These)则是第一部获选的
This sort of success doesn’t come out of nowhere. “It all goes back to when the Irish Film Board was reestablished [renamed Screen Ireland in 2018] by [now] President Michael D. Higgins, in the 90s,” says Orpen Lynch, a former board director who started his career in 1989. “He prioritized film. And despite certain setbacks, like massive recession [and] the pandemic, the government has stayed very strongly committed to it.” When it wavered, he adds, the creatives united to put it back on course. “We had a Finance Minister called Charlie McCreevy who threatened to take away our tax credit [in 2003]. The whole industry came together — I think even Bono got involved,” he recalls. “It was like the whole country rose up to protect it.”
这样的成功并非偶然。“这一切都始于上世纪90年代，当时爱尔兰电影局（后于2018年更名为Screen Ireland）由现任总统迈克尔·希金斯（Michael D. Higgins）重新建立，”奥彭·林奇（Orpen Lynch）说，他是一名前董事会成员，1989年开始了自己的职业生涯。“他把电影置于首位。尽管经历过经济大萧条和疫情等挫折，政府对电影的支持始终坚定。”他补充道，每当政府摇摆不定时，创意人士就会团结起来，确保其回归正轨。“我们曾有一位名叫查理·麦克休里（Charlie McCreevy）的财政部长，在2003年威胁要取消我们的税收抵免，”他回忆道，“整个行业站到了一起——我想连波诺（Bono）都参与了进来。”“整个国家似乎都站起来保护它。”
Now Screen Ireland continues to demonstrate its faith, with a 2024 budget of $42 million, another record. In January, it launched a production slate of 40 projects spanning feature films, TV dramas, animation and documentaries plus 30 shorts, while 38 percent of the productions it funded in 2023 were led by local emerging directors or screenwriters. “That’s a big focus for us: ensuring there are pathways through, from skills development in the industry to bringing in new entrants through our network of talent academies across the country,” says Screen Ireland CEO Désirée Finnegan. “Half of our productions in this year’s slate were from debut film directors, too.”
现在，Screen Ireland 依旧展现出信心，其2024年的预算达到了创纪录的4200万美元。今年1月，它推出了涵盖剧情片、电视剧、动画、纪录片以及30部短片的40个项目阵容。而2023年，Screen Ireland 资助的项目中有38% 是由本土新兴导演或编剧主导的。“这是我们的重要关注点：确保从行业技能培养到通过遍布全国的人才学院吸引新人才，都有途径实现，”Screen Ireland 的首席执行官Désirée Finnegan说，“我们今年的项目中，有一半来自首次执导电影的导演。”
As well as funding, Screen Ireland has guaranteed continuous growth via the terms of its tax incentive, which, since 2019, has required projects to provide skills development for both new and experienced local professionals. “Ireland’s expanding pool of highly trained and internationally experienced crew, in particular key heads of departments, is of the highest world standard,” says David McLoughlin, producer at Metropolitan Films International, whose 2023 co-productions include season two of The Tourist starring Jamie Dornan, and Anniversary with Kyle Chandler, fully set in Washington, D.C. but entirely shot in Ireland.
除了资金支持，Screen Ireland还通过税收激励措施保证了持续的增长。自2019年起，这一措施要求项目为新老本地专业人才提供技能培训。Metropolitan Films International的制片人David McLoughlin表示：“爱尔兰拥有一支不断壮大的、受过高度训练且具有国际经验的团队，特别是关键的部门主管，其水准达到了世界顶级。”他负责的2023年合拍作品包括由Jamie Dornan主演的《游客》第二季和Kyle Chandler主演的《周年纪念》，尽管故事背景设定在华盛顿特区，但全部拍摄都在爱尔兰完成。
Indeed, the versatility of the island’s landscapes continues to enthrall even local filmmakers and directors. “I’m from the West Coast and I go around a bend and think ‘Oh my God, that’s an amazing location’,” says Bad Sisters director Dearbhla Walsh. “There’s still so much of Ireland that hasn’t been on screen yet. When you see how True Detective: Night Country used Iceland for Alaska, it’s amazing to think how we could double-up so many parts of Ireland; even the Midlands which still have a kind of a romance.”
的确，这个岛国多变的风景甚至令本地的电影制作人和导演着迷。“我来自西海岸，转个弯就会想，‘我的天哪，这真是个绝妙的拍摄地点’，”《坏姐妹》（Bad Sisters）的导演迪尔布拉·沃尔什（Dearbhla Walsh）说道，“爱尔兰还有很多地方尚未在银幕上出现。当你看到《真探：夜之国度》（True Detective: Night Country）把冰岛当作阿拉斯加来拍，会惊叹我们能用爱尔兰的很多地方‘一镜双城’，包括仍带有某种浪漫情调的中部地区。”
Then there’s the climate. “Suddenly when you’re grading in your telephony studio, you realize rain and gray can be interesting to look at and reflect characterization; everything isn’t California sunshine.”
还有气候。“当你在电话录音棚里分级时，你会突然意识到雨和灰暗可以显得很有看头，可以反映人物的性格；并不是所有的事物都是加州阳光。”
Walsh even notes a rise in Irish accents in film, in parallel with Ireland’s rise as a shooting hub. “There are definitely more and more Irish accents,” she says. “Take Andrew Scott’s character in All of Us Strangers. They dealt with [why he has an accent] in the script, which I think worked incredibly well. People aren’t making excuses now. And my experience on Bad Sisters with the casting revealed that there is an extraordinary amount of fresh talent from Northern Ireland, which must be linked to Game of Thrones [filming there]. Now when the accent pops up in an international story, it has really positive connotations, whereas maybe it hasn’t before.”
沃尔什甚至注意到，随着爱尔兰作为拍摄中心的崛起，电影中的爱尔兰口音也在增加。“爱尔兰口音的确越来越多了，”她说，“以《我们都是陌生人》（All of Us Strangers）中安德鲁·斯科特的角色为例，剧本中处理了他的口音问题，我认为这处理得非常好。现在人们不再为使用爱尔兰口音找借口了。我在《坏姐妹》（Bad Sisters）中的选角经验显示，来自北爱尔兰的新鲜面孔非常多，这肯定与《权力的游戏》在那里拍摄有关。现在，当国际故事中出现这种口音时，它有了非常积极的含义，而以前可能并非如此。”
So what else might lure a producer to Ireland, besides the tax breaks, quality crew, wealth of homegrown talent and variable terrain? “I’m not going to be twee about it, but there’s something culturally unique about getting business done in Ireland and that experience you have,” says Elaine Geraghty, managing director of Ardmore Studios, the country’s oldest, in County Wicklow, and Troy Studios, its newest and largest, in Limerick. “And it does come with being an island nation. It’s a tight community — everybody in the screen industry knows each other. That’s really helpful when you’re trying to get business in and make sure people have the best experience.”
那么，除了税收优惠、高素质的剧组、丰富的本土人才和多变的地貌，还有什么能吸引电影制作人来到爱尔兰呢？艾莱恩·杰拉蒂（Elaine Geraghty）说道，她既是位于威克洛县（County Wicklow）的爱尔兰最古老的阿德莫尔工作室（Ardmore Studios）的总经理，也是最新最大的特洛伊工作室（Troy Studios）的负责人。“我不会把它说得过于诗意，”她说，“在爱尔兰做生意有一种独特的文化氛围，这种经历无可替代。”“而且，这确实是因为我们是一个岛国。我们有一个紧密的社区——影视行业里的每个人都互相认识。当你想在这里开展业务，确保人们有最好的体验时，这非常有帮助。”
Homegrown producer Rob Walpole, most recently behind Sundance 2023 and Apple+ success Flora and Son, agrees there is a special energy about the scene right now. “For a small country, we have always punched way above our weight in terms of literature, with our playwrights, novelists, poets. But it never felt that we fully converted that to the medium of film and televisual storytelling,” he says. “It’s really only in the last 20 years that we’ve been able to develop the kind of infrastructure to support today’s level of activity. That brings with it a certain level of drive, freshness and enthusiasm. As a Director of Production coming here, you’ll find there’s a real energy, from the very top down to people who are just beginning their careers.”
本土制片人Rob Walpole，最近的作品包括获得2023年圣丹斯电影节关注以及在Apple+上取得成功的《Flora and Son》，他同意目前电影行业正充满特殊活力。“对于一个小型国家来说，我们在文学领域一直表现出超出实际实力的表现，无论是剧作家、小说家还是诗人。但一直以来，我们并未能充分将这些转化为电影和视听叙事的媒介。”他说，“直到过去的20年，我们才建立起支持当前活动水平的基础设施。这带来了一定程度的动力、新颖感和热情。作为制片总监来到这里，你会发现从高层到刚起步的职业人士，都充满了实实在在的能量。”
It’s a dynamism that suggests the latest investments will lead to equally exciting accomplishments. In December 2023, Screen Ireland introduced the Animation Innovation and Immersive Development Fund, “designed to support animators exploring new formats and technologies,” says Finnegan, as well as “provide space for filmmakers to take risks and explore new ways of working.” It has also developed a pilot prototype fund for game development, supported by the government’s Digital Games Tax Credit. Meanwhile, a €300 million ($327 million) studio, Greystones Media Campus, is set to open this year, and Ardmore Studios is constructing three new sound stages. Right now, Ireland is also supporting Ireland House at the SXSW film fest, currently underway in Austin, Texas, where on Tuesday, March 12 fest attendees had the opportunity to take in two talks: “Ireland Unveiled: Shaping the World Through Storytelling,” and In “Conversation with the Kneecap Filmmakers.”
这种活力预示着最新的投资将带来同样激动人心的成就。芬尼根表示，2023年12月，Screen Ireland推出了动画创新与沉浸式开发基金（Animation Innovation and Immersive Development Fund），“旨在支持动画师探索新的形式和技术”，同时也“为电影制作人提供了冒险和尝试新工作方式的空间”。政府还通过数字游戏税收抵免计划资助了一个游戏开发原型基金。与此同时，今年将启用一座价值3亿欧元（32.7亿美元）的格雷斯顿媒体园区，阿德莫尔工作室也在建设三个新的摄影棚。目前，爱尔兰还在支持位于得克萨斯州奥斯汀的SXSW电影节上的“爱尔兰之家”活动，3月12日星期二，节日期间与会者可以参加两场演讲：“通过讲故事塑造世界：揭秘爱尔兰”和“与《膝盖上的男人》电影制作人对话”。
“I think [what’s made] the difference [in Ireland] is: the government sees the industrial value of it now,” says Walpole. “We used to argue that investing in film production would draw people to visit and that we should have the means to tell our own stories to ourselves. And that’s still all true. But beyond that, now there’s this huge amount of employment that is something that the government will not want to lose. It’s really about how we creatively move forward from here and optimize what has been an extraordinary run.”
“我认为爱尔兰的转变在于：政府现在看到了其工业价值。”沃尔波尔说道。“过去，我们争论说，投资电影制作能吸引人们来访，而且我们应该有能力对我们自己的故事进行讲述。这依然正确。但除此之外，现在有大量的就业机会，这是政府不希望失去的。关键是我们如何在创新中前进，充分利用这一非凡的机遇。”
