How the Irish Film Industry has developed since...

In 1943 the National Film Institute was established, it had a strong Catholic ethos which followed Government censorship laws and looked to make decent and clean films. It was a large producer of documentaries in the 1940s.

As Ireland moved in the 1960s, it began to have more of a modern outlook. RTÉ was launched in 1961. Although a huge step forward for Irish television it resulted in a reduction in film production.

In 1975 RTÉ bought Ardmore Studios, which became the National Film Studios. However, although all these advances there was not much film production in Ireland at the time.

It was not really until the late 80's and the early 90's that things really started opening up for Irish films and Irish film makers.

In 1980 the Irish Film Board was set up. This was a huge step for Irish filmmakers as it allowed directors to draw on state funding without state interference. This meant that Irish directors could get funding, even if the film's being made went against Catholic ethos or were controversial.

The 1980s was also the launching of one of Ireland's most famous film-makers - Neil Jordan.

Following the success of Irish movies at this time, such as My Left Foot and The Crying Game. People began to take notice of Irish cinema.