‘The Young Offenders’ makers lead Sound and Vision round with Virgin Media drama

Vico Films, the Irish production company behind the comedy film and series The Young Offenders, has been awarded the highest single sum in the latest round of television and radio funding from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland's (BAI) Sound and Vision scheme.

Vico received €450,000 to help make a four-part contemporary drama series with the working title Bag for Life for Virgin Media Television.

Mind the Gap Films was given the second-highest award, a sum of about €393,000, for Rebecca's Second Chances, a four-part entertainment series that will also be shown on Virgin Media One, while Blue Ink Films was awarded €380,000 to make Twig for RTÉ One.

Twig is a one-off adaptation of Greek tragedy Antigone set in Dublin’s inner city “with a bitter gangland feud as a backdrop”.

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The BAI allocated a total of €6.4 million under this round of the licence fee-funded scheme, with the money shared by the producers of 26 television projects and 48 radio projects. The round attracted 133 applications seeking funding of about €15.7 million.

“The final selection represents a good spread of programming across a diversity of formats, genres and audiences and helps to fulfil the BAI’s strategic aims with regard to promoting diversity and plurality, the Irish language and enhancing innovation and sectoral sustainability,” said BAI chief executive Celene Craig.

Leadership roles

Consideration of whether women have leadership roles in the proposed projects was part of the assessment process, with about 60-85 per cent of the producer, writer and editor roles in the relevant funded projects filled by women.

Men retain the majority of director and director of photography roles, although there was an increase in the share of women in these roles compared to the previous funding round.

Ms Craig said she was “particularly heartened” by the progress made in relation to women in leadership roles.

“All TV projects recommended for funding have some female representation in lead creative roles, with just over 80 per cent of funding for TV applications recommended going to projects that have indicated half or more key roles are filled by women.”

The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media will hear from BAI chair Mary Curtis later on Wednesday.