Ireland could be on the cusp of a golden era of acting and film-making but further Government investment is needed, says Oscar-winning producer David Puttnam.
Mr Puttnam said that he believed the boom of Irish acting talent such as Cillian Murphy, Paul Mescal, Saoirse Ronan and Barry Keoghan among others, are just the most recent expression of an Irish talent for acting that has always existed.
“I think the current blooming is just a realisation of the acting that’s always been here – from my generation, you had the Ray McAnallys and the Liam Neesons so maybe it’s got do with the world that wasn’t familiar with Irish acting just catching up with the talent that exists here.
“I think that casting directors has discovered the extraordinary depth of talent that we have here in Ireland and in many cases, they are affordable whereas in the [United] States, they are often not affordable, and it could be a golden era for us if we don’t get complacent and invest.”
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Long-time resident in west Cork, Mr Puttnam and his wife, Patsy became Irish citizens in 2022 and last week he received an Honorary Doctorate in Arts from UCC in recognition of a career in which he has produced such acclaimed films as Chariots of Fire, The Mission and The Killing Fields.
He said Screen Ireland had done tremendous work to nurture an Irish film industry and the Government’s move to introduce film studies as a Leaving Certificate subject on a pilot basis was welcome. Still, more needs to be done to develop the industry.
“The Government have woken up and realise this is a profitable area of investment but more importantly it’s an area where hundreds of thousands of kids would like to be so we need to drive this down to primary and secondary schools so kids realise they can have a career in film.
“Because they can have careers – primary education isn’t badly served for arts, but it doesn’t take it seriously – it’s treated almost as a distraction. But it’s not just whimsical ideas – there are real careers in film where you can be very successful but also have a very happy time.”
Also honoured at UCC with Honorary Doctors were fellow west Cork resident and actor, Jeremy Irons, Skibbereen based Olympic winning rowing coach, Dominic Casey and campaigner and founder of Chernobyl Children International, Clonmel-born Adi Roche.
Paying tribute, UCC president Prof John O’Halloran said of the four: “Jeremy, Adi, Dominic and David have all made outstanding contributions in their respective fields ... our awardees are exemplars of what it means to lead with purpose, compassion, and vision, inspiring others to follow in their footsteps.”
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