Cinemagic Young Filmmaker Masterclasses

Young filmmakers from across Northern Ireland will be sharing their talent with captive audiences at Cinemagic Young Filmmaker, in association with First Light which runs from Friday 24 to Sunday 26 November 2006.
Open to everyone, the weekend showcase of free screenings will take place at Queen’s Film Theatre (QFT), Belfast, and are divided into three separate age groups:
On Friday 24 November short listed films made by young people under the age of 15 will be shown between 5.30pm and 7.15pm. This will be followed by a question and answer session with First Light and Film Street.
Saturday 25th November is dedicated to 15 to 17 year olds. Short listed competition entrants and script writing enthusiasts will have the opportunity to participate in a ‘writing for film’ masterclass hosted by Barry Devlin (Not Afraid, Not Afraid, Ballykissangel, All Things Bright and Beautiful) from 10.00am to 4.00pm, before attending the QFT for the series of short film screenings at 5.00pm to 7.15pm. Highly acclaimed Omagh born actor Gerard McSorley will be taking part in a question and answer session afterwards for audience members who would like to find out more about the world of acting.
On Sunday 26 November, Gerard McSorley will be sharing some more of his knowledge and skills, with 18 to 25 year olds, via an acting masterclass which runs from 10.00am to 4.00pm.
Sunday will culminate in the screening of short listed Young Film maker entries from 18 to 25 year olds, between 5.00pm and 7.30pm.
Chris Shaw, Cinemagic festival programmer commented: “Encouraging and rewarding creative talent is extremely important. We need to ensure that young people continue to develop their skills and are provided with opportunities to learn from each other and from those who have carved out successful careers within the industry. Developing networks where like minded individuals can share their views and thoughts and draw support from is one of the initial stepping stones in creating a pool of local talent which can further the growth of the industry as a whole.”
First Light Movies is the key sponsor of Cinemagic’s Young Filmmaker competition and Clare Lewis, Marketing & Communications Manager explains why: "We are delighted to be working with such a reputable young people's film festival as Cinemagic and I am thrilled to be sitting on the Young Filmmaking judging panel. As a nationwide organisation it is crucial that First Light Movies engages with young filmmakers throughout the UK. I am very much looking forward to seeing the creative and imaginative stories produced by young filmmakers in Northern Ireland."
For further information on the opportunities that exist visit: www.cinemagic.org.uk
Tickets for festival films can be purchased online from the Cinemagic website or from the Belfast Welcome Centre, 47 Donegall Place Belfast.
(DS)