Weather-hit Dublin film festival sees losses double in 2018

Box office suffered as snow led to cancellation of screenings on four of its 10 days

James Frecheville (left) and Hugo Weaving in Black 47, the Irish famine film directed by Lance Daly, which opened the Dublin International Film Festival in storm-hit 2018.
James Frecheville (left) and Hugo Weaving in Black 47, the Irish famine film directed by Lance Daly, which opened the Dublin International Film Festival in storm-hit 2018.

The Dublin International Film Festival saw its losses double in 2018, a year in which the event was battered by severe weather.

The company behind the spring event recorded a loss of €47,000 for the 12 months to the end of August 2018, more than twice its loss in the previous period.

Accounts for DIFF Festival Company show the box office and advertising turnover for that year’s snowbound festival arrived at just under €166,800, down €20,000.

The event was curtailed by the Beast from the East and Storm Emma, prompting the cancellation of screenings on four of its 10 days.

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The company received an Arts Council grant of about €109,000, up slightly on the year before. Other grants totalled €89,000, while income from patrons and conferences contributed €58,000.

Nora Twomey’s Oscar-nominated feature The Breadwinner, which was shown as part of the Dublin International Film Festival in 2018, when the event was hit by the Beast from the East.
Nora Twomey’s Oscar-nominated feature The Breadwinner, which was shown as part of the Dublin International Film Festival in 2018, when the event was hit by the Beast from the East.

Sponsorship turnover rose to about €283,000, up €98,000. The festival was sponsored by Audi in March 2018, with this being the last year in the carmaker's association with the event.

The long-running festival subsequently secured a new title sponsor, Virgin Media Ireland, which said it wanted to help the event "get its mojo back".

The first Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival was held earlier this year and it has a contract to sponsor a further two events. The festival, founded in 2003, was previously backed by Jameson.

Laura Slattery

Laura Slattery

Laura Slattery is an Irish Times journalist writing about media, advertising and other business topics