Leading director launches new film initiative

One of the most influential figures in world cinema was in Belfast yesterday to launch a ground breaking new initiative, aimed at giving young people a deeper appreciation of the fast moving world of film and moving image media.
Writer and director Anthony Minghella, in his capacity as Chair of the British Film Institute (bfi), unveiled 'A Wider Literacy', a document jointly produced by the Northern Ireland Film and Television Commission (NIFTC) and the bfi.
'A Wider Literacy' forms an important part of the NIFTC’s overall plan for the film and television industry and education in Northern Ireland. It provides a strategy for introducing the moving image into the school curriculum - and into the non-formal curriculum beyond - it lays down a framework for giving everyone in Northern Ireland the opportunity to learn more about the dominant medium of the 21st century.
In launching the document, Mr Minghella, who directed multi-Oscar epic, 'The English Patient', said: “I am absolutely delighted to be in Northern Ireland today to help launch this important initiative. Encouraging and developing a love of film and moving image should be a critical part in our children’s education. It’s important that every child should have an opportunity not only to see great films, but be given the chance to create their own movies as part of their day to day schooling.”
The document emerged out of wide-ranging discussion and exchange of ideas by the Education Policy Working Group (EPWG) under the chairmanship of Dr Paul Moore, NIFTC board member and senior lecturer at the University of Ulster.
The EPWG was set up in 2000 and comprised representatives of education, government, broadcasting, film production and independent providers such as the Nerve Centre and CineMagic.
The launch took place in the futuristic setting of W5 in Belfast's Odyssey Arena.
(MB)