Northern Ireland’s most talented young filmmakers were recognised at CCEA’s annual Moving Image Arts Showcase.
The two-day showcase, hosted at Brunswick Moviebowl, Derry/Londonderry, and Cineworld, Belfast, respectively, was attended by over 600 students, teachers, and industry experts, celebrating the success of NI’s Moving Image Arts GCSE, AS and A level students.
The annual event was supported once again by Northern Ireland Screen, Foyle Film Festival, City of Derry Crystal and Cinemagic. It showcased students’ films across a range of genres and acknowledged the high quality of student achievement with the presentation of prestigious Moving Image Arts Awards by industry professionals.
The ceremony has gained recognition from leading figures in the film industry. This year’s guest speakers, and award presenters, included actress and composer Thaddea Graham (from ‘Sex Education’, ‘Bad Sisters’, ‘The Irregulars’ and ‘Dr Who’), Co-Founder of HaZimation, Paula Crickard, and Alleycats TV Assistant Producer, Hannah Murray.
Gerry Campbell, CCEA Chief Executive, said: “Congratulations to every student who was shortlisted for our Moving Image Arts Showcase this year. We continue to be inspired by the creativity, imagination, and skill of our students. Thank you to our showcase partners Northern Ireland Screen, Foyle Film Festival, City of Derry Crystal, and Cinemagic for your continued support in making this incredible event happen.”
CCEA’s Moving Image Arts qualification was first launched as the ‘Film School in School’ in 2003 with an intake of 69students. It now attracts over 1500 students across GCSE, AS and A level. It is recognised for its pathway into creative careers such as screenwriting, graphic and games design, and directing.
Richard Williams, Chief Executive of Northern Ireland Screen commented: “The Moving Image Arts Showcase is a celebration of the talent and creativity of Northern Ireland’s young film and animation students, whose passion for storytelling shines brightly every year. These students are not only the future of screen industry, they’re also demonstrating the project management skills and the creativity that can make them stand out in almost any field of work.”
Eavan King, Head of Film Programmes at Nerve Centre said: “Foyle Film Festival held the first Moving Image Arts awards 21 years ago and, in that time, we have celebrated so many young filmmakers, animators and creatives, many of whom have progressed into the screen industries in Northern Ireland and beyond.
“The Moving Image Arts qualification has been a game changer, providing all students the opportunity to develop knowledge, critical understanding and skills fostering a lifelong love of film. Many of these talented filmmakers have returned to screen films as part of our Oscar and BAFTA accredited Light in Motion competition at Foyle Film Festival, coming full circle from where they started from.”
Each shortlisted film was selected by a panel of experts, including representatives from Northern Ireland Screen, Into Film, ScreenWorks, Foyle Film Festival, BFI Film Academy, the Northern Ireland Creative Learning Centres, Cinemagic and CCEA Senior Teams.
The winning films were chosen for their strong production values, story, originality, and audience appeal and are listed below:
GCSE Best Film – ‘Madeline’, Beth Finnegan, Sulliven Upper School
GCSE Best Animated Film – ‘Ghost of Saint Gallows’, Leona Gregson, Lisnagarvey High School
AS Best Film – Joint 1st Place Winners –
‘Behind Closed Doors’, Megan Flood, Belfast Royal Academy
‘Storage Space’, Eoin Brennan, Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School
AS Best Animated Film – ‘Ratted out’, Emily Weir, Antrim Grammar School
A2 Best Film – Joint 1st Place Winners –
‘The Bunyon Manor’, Joshua Beattie, Sullivan Upper School
‘Don’t Think Twice’, Jonah Simon, Ashfield Boys School
A2 Best Animated Film – ‘Kip and the Sheriff Slayer’, Eva White, Assumption Grammar School
ENDS
Media enquiries to: Joanne Schofield
M: 07500 806237
NOTES TO EDITORS
CCEA is the Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment. CCEA places learners and those who have an interest for their educational and personal development at the forefront of its thinking.
CCEA’s Moving Image Arts qualifications are unique in the UK, giving students the opportunity to develop and refine their audio-visual literacy and creativity through hands-on learning in the craft of moving image arts.
NI Screen, a core funder of the showcase, is a longstanding supporter of Moving Image Arts and continues to support the subject and its ongoing development with a variety of programmes and initiatives. The Moving Image Arts in Northern Ireland: A Longitudinal Cohort Study by Ulster University is available to download here .
Foyle Film Festival launched the subject’s very first showcase event in 2003 and has run it annually in partnership with CCEA since then.
Awards Presenters:
- Teresa McDonald – CINE Trainee – (GCSE Best Animated Film)
- Adam O’Connor – CINE Trainee – (GCSE Best Film)
- Paula Crickard – Film director/producer/games designer – Hazimation (company founder) – (AS Best Animated Film)
- Hannah Murray – Assistant Producer – Alleycats TV – (AS Best Film)
- Tim Bryans – Managing Director/co-founder – Alt Animation – (A2 Best Animated Film)
- Thaddea Graham – Actor and composer – (A2 Best Film)
