Cinemagic

Cinemagic is an award-winning organisation that uses the magic of film and all forms of moving image to entertain, educate motivate and inspire young people. Established in 1989, Cinemagic has developed a worldwide reputation for excellence in children’s programming and is currently the largest film event of its kind for young people in Ireland and the UK.

Designed for and by young people, Cinemagic caters for young people (aged 4 to 25) with just about every level of interest in film, whether to watch and enjoy, create their own work or take things a stage further and find out more about a career in the film or television industry.

Cinemagic hosts its annual film and television festival in Belfast every November as well as an annual festival in Dublin since 2008. In 2010 Cinemagic delivered festival events in New York and Los Angeles to mark the Festival's 20th Anniversary. The Festival Programme includes an array of preview screenings, workshops for schools, special film events, Q&A’s, Cinemagic Young Filmmaker Competition, the young festival jury and masterclasses in all aspects of television and filmmaking.

Every year Cinemagic recruits 25 young film consultants who play a significant role in the planning and promotion of each festival. The young consultants work with the Cinemagic team to help steer the choice of films for the Festival, as they watch and critique films from around the globe.

While the core festival events are in Belfast and Dublin, Cinemagic is equally committed to providing opportunities for young people in regional towns and cities across the UK. In the last three years Cinemagic has extended its reach to Manchester, Hereford, Glasgow and Nottingham with support from UK Film Council, and has developed a strong partnership with Castres Short Film Festival in France.