There are several film finance projects in the pipeline for the interested investor. AIBIM raised funds for two film finance schemes toward the end of the last tax year and plans to raise a further £10 to £15 million over the next three months.
It hopes to start raising money for the first project, a film version of George Orwell's classic Animal Farm, in the next few weeks. Commissioned by US producers, Hallmark, Morgan O'Sullivan is the Irish executive producer on the film. It will use animatronics similar to those used in Babe and AIBIM aims to raise around £7 million.
AIBIM also plans to raise £3.3 million to fund the second part of a series being produced for US television. It raised £4.8 million for the first part of The Mystic Knights of Tir na nOg in the last tax year. Because of the length of the 50-part series, the fund-raising was done in two parts and AIBIM will be looking for more funds in June or July.
Meanwhile, KPMG is about to begin fund-raising for a feature film, Mad about Mambo, which begins production at the end of May. It hopes to raise £2.5 million to make the film which it describes as "a romantic teenage comedy which marries together soccer and Latin American dancing".
Merlin Films raised the $12.5 million (£8.8 million) it cost to make The General, including around $6 million as Section 35 finance. It also has a number of projects in the pipeline. Mr Kieran Corrigan says it is hoping to mark Noel Coward's centenary next year with a film version of Hayfever, starring Joanna Lumley.
John Boorman, who directed The General, is looking at a number of other projects, while Merlin also does the fund-raising for the Connemara studio of American B-movie producer Mr Roger Corman.
