IFTA (Irish Film & Television Academy)

What IFTA (Irish Film & Television Academy) does

IFTA (Irish Film & Television Academy), founded in 2003, is the all-isreland professional membership body and awards authority for the Irish film and television industry, headquartered in Dublin with 12 employees and led by CEO Áine Moriarty. The Academy is organised around 15 professional chapters spanning Acting, Animation, Casting, Cinematography, Costume, Directing, Editing, Hair & Make-Up, Music, Production Design, Producer, Sound, Writing, and broader Film and Television disciplines, and it serves practitioners across both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, plus an International Membership programme for Irish professionals abroad.

Its core products are the annual IFTA Film & Drama Awards (30 categories) and IFTA Gala Television Awards (23 categories), supported by year-round programming including masterclasses, Casting Conversations forums, member screenings, the Dynamic Diverse diversity initiative (launched 2022), and the Rising Star Award. Underlying technology is limited to a website-based membership, submission, and voting platform; no proprietary AI or software stack is described in available material.

Revenue is generated through three streams: recurring membership subscriptions (Full and Associate tiers), one-time award submission fees (paid via Visa, MasterCard, Laser, and direct debit), and corporate sponsorship arrangements (including a three-year Redbreast Spirit Partnership for 2026-2028, Gala Retail as Television headline sponsor, and Sculpted By Aimee as Official Beauty Partner for 2026). The Academy is privately held, not venture-backed, and does not have a parent company. Awards are broadcast nationally on RTÉ One, TV3, and TG4, providing significant earned-media distribution.

Name

IFTA (Irish Film & Television Academy)

Legal name

Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA Academy Ltd)

Website

https://ifta.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IFTA is the all-Ireland professional membership academy and awards body for the Irish film and television industry, founded in 2003. It operates 15 professional chapters, runs the annual Film & Drama and Television Awards across 53 categories, and delivers masterclasses and diversity forums to industry members.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Membership subscriptions: IFTA generates revenue through annual membership fees charged to film and television professionals. Membership is valid for 12 months and members pay renewal fees each year. The Academy offers Full Membership (for professionals with minimum four years of experience) and Associate Membership (for those not yet meeting eligibility criteria, without voting rights).
2. Award submissions: IFTA charges submission fees for entries to the annual IFTA Awards in both Film & Drama and Television categories. Submissions are processed through an online entry system. Payment methods include Visa, MasterCard, Laser, Visa Debit and Direct Debit.
3. Sponsorship and partnerships: IFTA generates revenue through sponsorship arrangements with corporate partners. Redbreast (Irish whiskey) is a three-year Spirit Partner (2026-2028) sponsoring the Short Film Award category. Gala Retail has been headline sponsor of the Television Awards. Sculpted By Aimee was Official Beauty Partner for 2026. Additional sponsors include Tanqueray (Casting Conversations reception) and various category sponsors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA) is the all-Ireland professional membership organization that administers the annual IFTA Film & Drama Awards and IFTA Gala Television Awards, recognizing excellence across 53 combined award categories. The Academy operates a tiered membership programme (Full and Associate) spanning 15 professional chapters and delivers supporting professional development programs including masterclasses, Casting Conversations, the Dynamic Diverse diversity forum, members-only screenings, and the Rising Star Award for emerging talent.

Product overview

The Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA) operates a suite of award programs and professional development initiatives for the Irish screen industry. The core offerings include the IFTA Film & Drama Awards (annual ceremony for film and drama excellence) and the IFTA Gala Television Awards (annual ceremony for television excellence), both featuring voting by Academy members and juries. Supporting programs include the Dynamic Diverse forum for diversity in screen industries, masterclasses with industry professionals, casting conversations, and a members area with voting rights. The Academy also administers the Rising Star Award for emerging talent and Lifetime Achievement Awards for industry veterans. The organization serves film and television professionals across Ireland through membership, events, screenings, and awards recognition.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IFTA Film & Drama Awards Annual awards ceremony celebrating excellence in Irish film and drama across 30 categories, voted on by Academy members and an invited jury panel. The ceremony is broadcast on RTÉ One and is open to submissions from the Irish and international film industry.
• IFTA Gala Television Awards Annual awards ceremony recognising the best programmes and talent on Irish television across 23 categories. Broadcast on TV3 and TG4, it celebrates outstanding achievement in Irish television production.
• IFTA Masterclasses Series of masterclasses featuring prominent professionals from the Irish and international film and television industries sharing knowledge and expertise with Academy members and the wider industry.
• IFTA Screen: Dynamic Diverse Annual forum of discussions and engagement encouraging artistic development across diverse communities within the screen industries, exploring visibility, representation, and best international practice. Supported by Coimisiún na Meán and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland.
• IFTA Casting Conversations Forum offering actors, casting directors, agents, and industry professionals insights into the casting landscape in Ireland, with discussions and networking opportunities.
• IFTA Members Area Secure online portal providing IFTA members with voting rights for annual awards, access to exclusive content, event registration, and member resources. Full Membership (requiring minimum four years of professional experience) confers voting rights; Associate Membership is available to those not yet meeting eligibility criteria without voting rights.
• IFTA Rising Star Award Award recognising emerging talent in the Irish film industry, selected by a special jury and sponsored by Screen Ireland (formerly Irish Film Board). Designed to provide visibility and industry recognition for new entrants to the screen sector.
• IFTA Lifetime Achievement Award Prestigious honour given to individuals for outstanding lifetime contribution to the Irish film and television industry. Past recipients include Maureen O'Hara (2004), Jim Sheridan (2015), Liam Neeson (2016), Martin Scorsese (John Ford Award, 2017), Shay Healy (2018), Pat Kenny (2018), Colm Meaney (2025), Mary Kennedy (2025), Ciarán Hinds (2026), and Judi Dench (In Conversation event).

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Redbreast Single Pot Still Irish WhiskeycoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Redbreast became the official Spirit Partner of the IFTA Awards for 2026, 2027 and 2028 under a three-year partnership. Redbreast sponsors the IFTA Short Film Award category. The partnership was announced in 2026, making Redbreast the official Spirit Partner of the IFTA Awards for three consecutive years.
• Coimisiún na MeáncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Coimisiún na Meán supported IFTA Screen: Dynamic Diverse 2025, an event celebrating artistic development across diverse communities within the screen industries. The Coimisiún na Meán is the statutory media regulator in Ireland.
• Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) has partnered with IFTA to support the IFTA Documentary Single Award at the annual Television Awards ceremony. The BAI also partnered with IFTA for the inaugural Dynamic Diverse forum in December 2022.
• Screen IrelandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScreen Ireland partners with IFTA on masterclasses, including Cinematography Masterclass with Robbie Ryan and Producing Masterclass with Amanda Posey. Screen Ireland co-sponsored the Rising Star Award (formerly Irish Film Board Rising Star Award).
• TanquerayminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTanqueray provided sponsorship for the post-event drinks reception at the Casting Conversations 2024 forum held at the Light House Cinema, Dublin.
• RTÉcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRTÉ broadcasts the IFTA Film & Drama Awards ceremony annually (e.g., aired on RTÉ One at 10:45pm on Saturday 17th February 2018). RTÉ also partners on various IFTA events and is an important media partner for the Academy.
• TG4coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTG4 broadcasts the IFTA Gala Television Awards (e.g., aired on TG4 at 9.25pm on Saturday 2nd June 2018). TG4 is a key partner for Irish language content at the IFTA awards.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Irish Film Board / Screen Ireland:
• Screen Directors Guild of Ireland: Irish professional guild for film and television directors, focused on protecting director rights and conditions. Complementary to IFTA within the Irish screen-industry professional ecosystem, sharing overlapping membership pools.
• Screen Producers Ireland: Irish trade body representing film and television production companies. Adjacent rather than directly competitive — SPI represents producers specifically while IFTA is the broader professional academy — but both operate as Irish screen-industry convening organisations and share sponsor and policy ecosystems.

Direct peers

• European Film Academy: Pan-European professional film academy representing thousands of European filmmakers and running the European Film Awards. Overlaps with IFTA in recognising European/Irish film talent and competing for sponsor relevance in the European screen ecosystem.
• Royal Television Society (RTS): UK society for the television community running the RTS Television Journalism Awards and Craft & Design Awards. Closely comparable to IFTA's television-focused professional body and awards function for an adjacent (UK) industry.
• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS / The Oscars): US professional academy running the Academy Awards, the global benchmark for film industry awards. IFTA's awards programme is described as modelled on the Oscars, making AMPAS the highest-profile reference peer and aspirational benchmark.
• BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts): UK-based professional academy that runs the BAFTA Film and Television Awards. IFTA is explicitly modelled on BAFTA and serves an equivalent professional-body function for Ireland; the two compete for Irish-nominated talent recognition and sponsor mindshare.

Regional players

• Canadian Academy (Canadian Screen Awards): Canada's national film and television academy running the Canadian Screen Awards. Direct structural analogue to IFTA in size and national mandate, serving the Canadian screen industry with similar membership, awards, and professional development programmes.
• Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA): Australia's national academy for film and television, running the AACTA Awards. Comparable in structure and mission to IFTA — a national professional body and awards authority — but operating in a different (larger) English-language market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IFTA
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/IFTAAwards
• Facebookfacebook.com/iftaonline
• Instagraminstagram.com/iftaacademy
• TikToktiktok.com/@ifta
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/irish-film-television-academy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IFTA (Irish Film & Television Academy)