Marcus resigns as chairman of Irish Film Board

The chairman of Bord Scannan na hEireann (the Irish Film Board), Mr Louis Marcus, has announced his resignation due to pressure of work, citing the difficulties of combining the demands of the position with his commitments as an independent producer.

"At this early stage of the industry's development, the attention required to pursue a range of complex policy matters has proved to be very time-consuming," Mr Marcus said.

The announcement had been delayed until the completion of the work of the Film Industry Strategy Review Group (think tank), assembled by the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Ms de Valera, to make recommendations on the future of the industry. "To have resigned before now could have been a distraction to the work of the think tank, of which I was a member," said Mr Marcus. "I was therefore happy to continue on the board until the virtual completion of its deliberations and am pleased to endorse its recommendations to the Minister."

Mr Marcus is one of Ireland's most distinguished documentary film-makers, having won many international awards and two Academy Award nominations.

A member of the first Irish Film Board in the 1980s, and of the reactivated board since 1993, he was appointed as chairman of the board in December 1996, succeeding Ms Lelia Doolan.

"Working with Louis has been of enormous benefit to the development of the board and of great pleasure to me personally," said Mr Rod Stoneman, chief executive of the board.

"His contribution to Irish film culture is unparallelled - both as a significant film-maker and in shaping the evolution of film policy from the time he was a member of the John Huston committee in the 60s."

The resignation of Mr Marcus leaves a vacancy on the board, to be filled by a nomination from the Minister.

Pending the imminent report of the Strategic Review Group, Ms Ann O'Connell, a member of the board since 1993, will chair the board on an interim basis.

Ms O'Connell, a director in PriceWaterhouseCoopers, has been actively involved in policy development in the film sector since the publication of the Coopers and Lybrand Report on the Indigenous Audiovisual Production Industry in 1992.

"My sincerest thanks are offered to Louis for his stewardship of the Irish Film Board through a period of phenomenal growth in the audiovisual sector," Ms de Valera said.

"His galvanising presence as chairman of Bord Scannan will be sorely missed but Louis leaves the affairs of this pivotal arm of State support in rude good health."