Cinemagic International Film and Television Festival for Young People showcased the creative work of hundreds of young people at a special celebratory evening in Odyssey Cinemas Belfast last night attended by Junior Ministers Emma Pengelly and Jennifer McCann.
With support from the Northern Ireland Executive’s Together: Building A United Community initiative, Cinemagic delivered a series of innovative programmes for young people in areas such as production, scriptwriting, directing, devising musical theatre and filmmaking.
The showcase included highlights of the Cinemagic Los Angeles programme, attended by teenagers from different communities in early March and Cinemagic’s latest short film ‘Delicate Things’, which developed the skills of local young filmmakers, supported by Creative Skillset and Panavision.
The invited audience of participants, their families and Cinemagic partners heard from many of the young people involved in the programmes and audiences enjoyed the premiere screening of a music video, ‘We Stand United’, the culmination of a project which brought together youths from South Belfast to participate in the production and performance of a bespoke music video, with the aim of inspiring and motivating through the medium of film and moving image.
Joan Burney Keatings, Cinemagic Chief Executive said: “The evening celebrated the breadth of creative talent that exists among our young people here in Northern Ireland, which simply needs to be unlocked. We wanted to work with new groups across Belfast and further afield to help introduce them to the unique opportunities at Cinemagic, through a host of tailored programmes that brought different cultural backgrounds together to work on a common goal. In doing so we have helped young people develop personal skills such as teamwork, confidence and communications as well as contributing to young people’s understanding and acceptance of cultural diversity”
Junior Minister Emma Pengelly said: “Cinemagic provide young people with exciting opportunities in the creative arts. By taking part in filmmaking process they are encouraged to build working relationships and friendships with people from different communities and backgrounds. I am delighted that OFMDFM have provided support to this project through our Together: Building a United Community strategy. The showcase clearly demonstrates that we are helping build a united community in Northern Ireland where we all can all live, learn, work and socialise together free from prejudice, hate and intolerance.
Junior Minister Jennifer McCann said: “By tapping into young people’s creativity Cinemagic are helping them reach their full potential. By engaging in various different creative mediums the young people have grown in skills, capabilities and confidence. At the same time, the shared experience has increased their understanding of each other. They have built friendships which may not have naturally developed due barriers of background, clearly illustrating the importance of such projects.”
Ends:// Press Information: Claire Shaw, Cinemagic Press and Marketing Officer, 028 90 311 900, claire@cinemagic.org.uk
