The talents of over 250 young filmmakers were joyously celebrated at Cinemagic’s Celebrating Creativity Film Showcase on 24th May in Odeon Cinemas, Belfast. Hosted by Pete Snodden, the award-wining youth film festival charity brought together the next generation of creatives to mark their achievements and preview their work on the silver screen. Audiences were treated to an incredible performance from singer songwriter, Taylor Lally, who features in Cinemagic’s latest film So What If It Rains, produced to mark the 25th Anniversary of The Good Friday Agreement.
Over the last two years Cinemagic has produced 22 short films and behind the scenes documentaries and 7 of these were previewed at the event. The films Waste, The Silent People, Shaken, Play Your Own Game, Abia, Heaven on Earth and So What If It Rains were produced by Cinemagic and filmmakers from Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, the Middle East, and Los Angeles.
The projects showcased were supported by funders and partners including Department for the Economy, Department of Education, Department of Foreign Affairs, Generations for Peace, British Consulate LA, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, Belfast Metropolitan College and North West Regional College.
Joan Burney Keatings MBE, Cinemagic CEO said: “I am extremely proud of the talented young people and industry professionals we have the absolute joy of working with. It was incredible to be able to present such a high calibre selection of films to a packed Belfast audience in Odeon Cinemas Belfast. Thank you to our funders and project partners in enabling the visions of the charity and allowing us to bring ideas to life.
“As well as training participants in filmmaking, our films tackle important social issues and provide a platform for discussion, and this is vital in today’ society to give young people a voice and contribute to their self-belief. We are looking forward to the rest of 2023 with very exciting plans to continue growing Cinemagic and to positively impact the lives of young people.”
