Thirty-five years post-establishment, and two years post-rebrand, the team at Ardán continues the legacy of the Galway Film Centre as a resource for creatives in the audiovisual industry in the West of Ireland. Founded in 1989 – initially as Galway Film Resource Centre – Galway Film Centre was a non-profit, members-based organisation that operated as a resource centre for local filmmakers. 

Having gone through several iterations over the years to meet changing industry needs, the charity rebranded in 2022 as Ardán to cater to the changing needs of regional talent in the film and TV sector, as well as the games and animation industries.

Ardán means platform or stage as Gaeilge. We provide a platform for creatives to tell their stories, and we foster and support the AV industry in the West of Ireland through advice, training, resources, funding, networking, and more. 

Ardán manages several initiatives dedicated to serving entry, emerging and established creatives in the sector. Read on to learn more about the core activities Ardán manages for talent development: 

Ardán/ RTÉ Short Film Commission 

The Ardán/ RTÉ Short Film Commission, now in its 33rd year, is Ireland’s longest-running short film scheme. The annual Commission provides an opportunity for emerging writer-director-producer teams to make a funded 10-minute short film with a budget of €15,000, with the resulting short broadcast on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player. A host of talent has graduated from the scheme and gone on to have successful careers in the Irish and international film and television industry. 

Galway as a UNESCO City of Film 

Since 2014, the Galway City of Film UNESCO Designation has been managed by Ardán on behalf of Galway City and County Councils. An annual programme of local bursaries and events is run as part of the designation to support grassroots local filmmaking. The programme currently includes the Short Documentary Bursary, the Misleór Short Doc Grant, the Little Cinema 48 Hour Challenge, Culture Night Screenings, Residencies, and more. 2024 marks 10 years of Galway as a City of Film and we look forward to a celebratory event in the city to mark the occasion later this year. 

Science on Screen: Docs & Animation 

Science on Screen is a partnership project run by CÚRAM & Ardán. The partnership began in 2016 and aims to facilitate, promote and increase the inclusion of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) content in Irish film and TV production through the production of documentary films that incorporate current research at CÚRAM and its partners. A new animation strand of the scheme was launched in 2022 in association with the National Talent Academies Ireland Animation. 

FÍS Summits: TV & Games 

In 2017, Ardán hosted the first FÍS TV Summit in Galway, with the goal of bringing creatives from all sectors of the TV industry together to listen, learn and connect with each other. Some of our guest speakers and panelists over the last 7 years have included Kerry Ehrin (The Morning Show) Mike Flanagan (Midnight Mass), and Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad). In 2021, Ardán went on to host the first annual FÍS Games Summit in the city to help foster the Irish games development community.  

WRAP Fund & Commission 

Since 2018, the WRAP regional investment fund has been managed by Ardán with the WDC and the local authorities of Clare, Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon, Sligo and Údarás na Gaeltachta, supporting notable films, TV series, and production companies in animation and games in the counties within the WRAP region. The WRAP Commission, established in 2023, supports regional producers and companies through access to markets, mentorship opportunities, and more. 

National Talent Academy Film and TV 

Ardán has operated the National Talent Academy for Film & Television Drama on behalf of Screen Ireland since 2022. The six National Talent Academies were established to develop a highly skilled and diverse talent and crew base for the screen sector. NTA Film & TV supports aspiring screenwriters, directors, and producers with courses, programmes, and other career opportunities.  

Games Industry Initiatives 

As well as the Games Summit, the Wild Galway Games Initiative – or WGGI as it has become known – has been supporting local game developers since 2022 through workshops, networking and mentorship. 2024 sees the next iteration of WGGI as the Wild Galway Games Incubator for local game developers, with Galway City Council, Creative Ireland, LEO Galway, CREW, Imirt, and Screen Ireland. This is alongside the launch of the pilot programme IndieDev this year, the Cross-Border Games Prototype Fund, with Imirt, Screen Ireland, and Northern Ireland Screen.  

Western AV Forum 

The Western Audio-Visual Forum (WAVF) is a collective of key stakeholders for Film, Television, Games, and Animation in the West of Ireland, and is chaired by Ardán. The goal of the collective is to support sustainable growth of the regional audiovisual industry in Ireland. This includes researched recommendations to the government on necessary improvements to infrastructure and incentives, to support producers and companies based in the regions and for incoming international productions. 

Ardán is proud to continue the legacy of Galway Film Centre in supporting creatives in the screen sector in the West of Ireland and in promoting sustainable regional production. 

For regular information on current Ardán, City of Film, WRAP, and NTA Film & TV related events, funding and training opportunities, subscribe to the monthly newsletter or follow us on social media.