Cinemagic Festival has unveiled over 30 days of unmissable opportunities for young audiences in Belfast and across Northern Ireland to celebrate its 30th anniversary. This year’s festival line-up includes appearances by legendary actress Hayley Mills and Saoirse Ronan.
Festival-goers will have the chance to participate in an extensive Film Education programme, industry masterclasses, a ‘Talking Pictures’ strand with screenings and filmmaker Q&As, the Cinemagic Young Filmmaker Weekend and Film Jury panels for young film critics.
“We are incredibly proud to have reached the milestone of the 30th Anniversary Cinemagic Festival. As a UK and Ireland leader in the field of youth film exhibition and engagement with the screen industry, we aim to present an innovative and rich programme of film opportunities providing a unique window to the world.
The Festival events are designed to have a positive impact on those that get involved. With continued support from our funders and partners Cinemagic is able to inspire young audiences from all backgrounds, nurture skills and develop tomorrow’s creative workforce.”
Joan Burney Keatings MBE ( Cinemagic CEO)
Film Screenings, Industry Workshops and Cinematic MasterClasses
The programme features over 100 public films and events, 30 industry workshops and masterclasses and 75 film education workshops. In the run-up to the festival, Cinemagic welcomes acclaimed actor Tchéky Karyo, BBC’s Baptiste, to present two films at Queen’s Film Theatre, including the first film ever screened at Cinemagic, 30 years ago, Vincent and Me (21 Sept).
The Gala Opening will be marked with a special Northern Ireland preview of much-anticipated animation Abominable from Universal Pictures and DreamWorks on 6th October. This leads the way for a fantastic array of films including documentaries, shorts, and animations celebrating world cinema (1st October-3rd November).
Additional special screenings including a Northern Ireland preview of the latest Aardman Animations feature A Shaun The Sheep Movie: Farmageddon, with a Q&A with co-directors Will Becher & Richard Phelan on 12th October.
The film programme will officially close with the 80th-anniversary screening of cinematic classic The Wizard of Oz in Belfast Cathedral, on 30th October (This is screening as part of BFI Musicals! The Greatest Show on Screen, a UK-wide film season supported by National Lottery, BFI Film Audience Network and ICO).
For more information on this year’s programme, including all Cinemagic’s events to celebrate their 30th anniversary then check out their website.