Some 70 per cent of US films shown in Irish cinemas have smoking scenes and in most cases smoking is glamorised, the Irish Cancer Society said yesterday.
At an event to highlight World No Tobacco Day tomorrow, the society said Irish people had the highest rate of cinema attendance in Europe, going on average at least four times a year.
Mr Ossie Kilkenny, chairman of the Irish Film Board, said the amount of smoking depicted on screen had "increased dramatically in recent years".
"There is more smoking in film now than at any time since 1960. The movies are now seen as a fertile ground for tobacco industry promotional techniques," he said.
Citing research just carried out at the University of California at San Francisco, Mr Kilkenny said Hollywood-produced films in 2002 to 2003 averaged 12.2 incidents of tobacco use per hour compared with 10.6 in 2001 and 7.7 in 2000.
Smoking scenes featured heavily in movies - available to young audiences - such as Big Trouble, Chicago, The Hours, Reign Of Fire and Tadpole. "Marlboro was the most prevalent of the best-known brands 'cast'," said Mr Kilkenny. They had been featured in at least 28 of Hollywood's top-grossing movies last year.
He said films hugely influenced public behaviour. "In the hands of a film-maker cigarettes can be associated with excitement, sex, wealth, rebellion and independence. A typical adolescent watching three films per week will be exposed to about 800 depictions of smoking per year."
Ms Norma Cronin, an anti-smoking consultant with the Irish Cancer Society, said smoking was the "single largest preventable cause of cancer".
Factors influencing whether young people smoked were the smoking habits of friends and family, the price, and advertising - whether direct or indirect through sponsorship, product placement and promotions.
Calling for the removal of tobacco from the basket of goods in the consumer price index, she said its continued inclusion was a "major block" on Government putting substantial tax increases on tobacco products.
She also called for the ringfencing of a substantial amount of the taxes that were collected on tobacco for investment in smoking cessation programmes.
"We are appealing to the film industry and all organisations who target young people to adopt and adhere to a more responsible code of practice regarding the use of tobacco."
She said young people were particularly impressionable, adding that 80 per cent of smokers became addicted before the age of 20, "when they have little awareness of the consequences".
