The surprise retirement of Ms Lelia Doolan as chairwoman of Bord Scannan na hEireann, the Irish Film Board, was announced last night by the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, Mr Higgins. She has been replaced by Mr Louis Marcus.
Ms Doolan, an award winning former RTE producer, Abbey artistic director and director of the Galway Film Fleadh, was appointed board chairwoman in 1993 when Mr Higgins re established it to help develop film production in Ireland. Mr Marcus is a distinguished independent filmmaker who has made over 60 documentaries since 1959, winning 18 international festival awards. The independent producer Mr Morgan O'Sullivan also joined the board.