Filmmakers have criticised Irish TV stations for their failure to screen Irish films over the Christmas period.
Screen Producers Ireland (SPI), which represents more than 200 Irish film and production companies, said that just two of the 180 films to be screened from Christmas Eve to New Year's Day on RTÉ1 and 2, TG4 and TV3 are Irish productions.
RTÉ will screen Into the West while TG4 has Poitín in its Christmas line-up.
Mr Malcolm Byrne, SPI director, said it was "extremely disappointing that out of 180 films shown over a nine-day period, our television stations can only broadcast two Irish films". He added that "they don't see fit to broadcast more Irish films at what is a peak TV film viewing period".
International blockbusters were a lot more expensive to buy but "the evidence is there that when Irish films are shown they get the audience".
Irish films in the cinema this year got both critical and box office acclaim, including Man About Dog, Adam and Paul and Inside I'm Dancing, he said.
While the national broadcaster RTÉ had very clearly invested in home produced TV drama "the challenge now is in the support for the feature film sector which is a growing industry".
Ms Clare Duignan, RTÉ Television director of programming, said however that "RTÉ's commitment to the independent sector is unprecedented, with an ongoing investment that meets and exceeds the statutory requirement".
A TV3 spokeswoman said the films for the holiday period were purchased to best suit the Christmas schedule and there was no question of the station setting out deliberately not to purchase Irish films.
