ABOUT THE IFI

 

IFI—The Story So Far
The National Film Institute of Ireland was officially incorporated on June 2nd 1945. Its origins go back to a 1936 papal Encyclical, Vigilanti Cura, and the desire expressed by Pope Pius XI that the medium of cinema be put to the services of human morality.

Guided by these principles, the founders of the Institute, under the patronage of Dr Charles McQuaid, Archbishop of Dublin, established an organisation that would spend the next three decades producing, distributing and exhibiting educational films in both the Irish and English languages to schools and other groups. Its eclectic output included the production in 1945 of A Nation Once Again, marking the centenary of the death of Thomas Davis, and the filming of GAA finals from 1948 onwards.

By the 1980s, the moral impetus behind the establishment of the Institute had faded and television had taken over many of its activities. 1982 heralded a new approach to the functions and ambitions of the Institute, which now received active support from the Arts Council. With Arts Council and lottery funding, this phase of development culminated in the purchase in 1987 of the old Quaker Meeting House premises at 6 Eustace Street, which was named the Irish Film Centre.

In the interim, the Irish Film Institute, as it was now called, took over the running of the Irish Film Theatre and subsequently became involved in the acquisition of the former Curzon Cinema in Dublin’s Abbey Street and its refurbishment as an arthouse venue. The Light House cinema was run in association with the IFI until the Institute launched the Irish Film Centre in September 1992.

1992 also saw the IFI establish the Irish Film Archive and Tiernan MacBride Library to preserve and make available to the public Ireland’s film heritage. At the same time, a hugely active Education department was developed to bring an informed and broad experience of cinema to young audiences throughout Ireland. In 2001, the Institute played a central role in the establishment of Ireland’s travelling cinema or Cinemobile.

More recently, the promotion of Irish film worldwide has become a priority and with the support of the national agency for the Irish arts abroad, Culture Ireland, IFI now produces high-end celebrations of the true breadth of Irish filmmaking throughout the world. We can now proudly say that the IFI is now one of the most active cultural bodies in Ireland.

In recent years we invested in our capacity to do all that we do to a very high standard, recognising that the arts must operate at a professional level to have the impact it can have in today’s Ireland. Our mission is simple: to both promote and preserve film culture in Ireland.

We invite you to join us in this enterprise!

Mission Statement
The Irish Film Institute preserves, presents and promotes film culture in Ireland. It achieves this objective by:

• Maintaining the Irish Film Archive to the highest international standards;
• Making available, through its programming and its facilities, the best film experience possible for Irish audiences;
• Assisting in the extension of such experience to the other regions of Ireland;
• Promoting recognition of film studies in curricula at all levels, and in life long learning, and exemplifying best film educational practice;
• Through its research and information programmes, being the principal source of information in Ireland on film culture and in particular Irish film, and on the policies relating to it;
• Working for the development of Irish film and of the audience for film; Being an informed and effective advocate of the art and culture of film;
• Running and maintaining the Irish Film Centre so that its facilities and resources are of an excellent standard and are accessible to all.

Funding
The Irish Film Institute is a company limited by guarantee with charitable status. The Irish Film Institute is financially supported by The Arts Council. Europa Cinemas assists IFI cinemas with a grant of €15,000. The balance of annual turnover of €3.4m is generated by the commercial and trading activities of the Irish Film Institute, by the income earned by cultural activities and by the fund-raising of sponsorship drives undertaken by the Director and staff.

In 2007, the IFI successfully sought funding from the Department of Arts, Sports and Tourism to part-finance refurbishment of the IFI and Irish Film Archive. Capital funding towards the development of the Irish Film Archive and for essential repairs and maintenance has been provided by the Arts Council.

Guinness Ireland was the founding sponsor of the Irish Film Centre and the Centre has an ongoing relationship with this main sponsor.

Founding Patrons of the IFI were: Corporate: Aerfast International, Ardmore Studios, Cine Electric, Coopers & Lybrand CRH Plc., Department of the Environment, Farrell Grant Sparks, French Embassy, Hooke & MacDonald, Patrick F. O’Reilly & Co., Hussey & Bates, Matheson Ormsby Prentice Solrs, National Lottery, Panavision Irl., Principle Management, RTÉ, SIPTU, Telecom Éireann, Temple Bar Properties, The Arts Council, UCD Film School, USIT

Individual: Vera Collins, Adrian Crawford, George Gafney, Kathy Gilfillan, John & Ros Hubbard, Kevin McClory, Paul McGuinness, Noel Pearson.

Governance
Patron: Mary McAleese, President of Ireland

BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
Eve-Anne Cullinan (Chairperson)
Trish Long
Kevin Moriarty
Patsy Murphy
Garry Hynes
Cathal Goan
Neil Jordan
Mark Byrne
Lenny Abrahamson
Maeve Connolly
John Boyne
Dr Harvey O'Brien