Locked Box Development Support

Locked Box Development Support is a Screen Ireland scheme that recycles repaid development loans back to the producer who repaid them. When a Screen Ireland-funded feature project goes into production, the producer repays the original development loan to Screen Ireland on the first day of principal photography. Under the Locked Box scheme, Screen Ireland holds that repayment in a "locked box" for the producer to re-invest in new Irish feature film development.

The scheme is niche but real — it rewards established producers whose previous projects have gone through to production and whose development loans have therefore been repaid.

What it covers

The producer can re-invest the locked-box balance against one or several new development projects, capped at €75k per project, subject to project eligibility.

Eligibility

To access locked-box funds, the producer must:

• Be an independent production company registered in the Republic of Ireland
• Have an office and staff based in the Republic of Ireland
• Have at least one previous Screen Ireland-funded feature development project that has gone into production — and therefore had its development loan repaid

The new project the producer wants to re-invest in must:

• Be an Irish feature film
• Qualify for normal Irish Feature Film Development funding
• Have clear access to the necessary rights in any material being adapted
• Have an agreement (at least in principle) with the screenwriter the producer wishes to commission

What's required with the application

Beyond the application form itself:

• Logline of the new project
• Synopsis (maximum 1 page)
• Development budget for the new project
• Confirmation of access to the necessary rights for any underlying material

Pre-application conversation

Producers must contact Screen Ireland's Head of Legal and Business Affairs (currently Cian McElhone) before submitting the application. The conversation establishes locked-box balance availability and discusses the new project's eligibility.

Submission

Application form + supporting documents go to: cian.mcelhone@screenireland.ie

Screen Ireland conditions

Screen Ireland may impose conditions on the released funds, including:

• Reporting obligations on the new project
• Audit and inspection rights
• Standard development-funding terms applied to the re-invested amount

How Togra supports this

Locked Box does not yet appear in the producer-facing funder picker — it is gated on the producer having a prior-loan-repayment history that Togra does not yet capture. When that surface ships, Locked Box becomes a directly-applicable scheme; until then it lives as an Eolas-only reference for producers planning ahead.