ANOTHER IFTA POST PART 2!

Seems no respectable Sunday paper can ignore the recent ITFA nominations. This time it's last week's Sunday Business Post who say 'Scanning the list and reading about the awards, it’s all enough to make you think that Irish cinema is in a healthy and vibrant state. The truth is a little grimmer.' Apparently it's all Hollywood's fault for releasing so many movies. So the plan now is to release Irish films abroad first to generate 'buzz' at home. Then they mention the usual countries (France and Denmark) to aspire to. Well let's see, both countries have produced masterpieces since the 1920s. World class directors such as Dreyer, Truffaut, Renoir, Von Trier, and Rohmer. We have produced Jordan and Sheridan (not Kirsten the other one). Not exactly in the same league eh? Then the usual excuse of the Film Board's budget getting cut. As if you need a big budget to make good cinema? Of course the other excuse: 'When Irish people do go to the cinema to watch an Irish film, they have to accept that production values will be lower'. WELL STOP MAKING FILMS THAT REQUIRE LARGER BUDGETS THEN! Most of the top French/Danish directors didn't require a huge budget to make their stuff? Here's another quote from the article: 'a lot of audience-friendly Irish films are being ignored by the audience for whom they are created'. Ever wonder why? Will I tell you? BECAUSE NO-ONE WANTS TO WATCH AN IRISH VERSION OF A HOLLYWOOD MOVIE WHEN THEY CAN EASILY WATCH THE REAL THING AT THEIR LOCAL MULTIPLEX. That is why Irish films fail to connect with audiences. Quite enjoyed typing that!