About: History
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
Cinemagic, funded by Northern Ireland Screen supported by DCAL, 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 strongly believes that film represents much more than entertainment – the medium of film offers the most accessible way to learn about and stimulate discussion among young people about the personal and world issues that are currently important to them.
Cinemagic hosts its annual film and television festival in Belfast every autumn as well as an annual festival in Dublin since 2008 and New York and Los Angeles since 2010.
The Festival Programmes includes an array of preview screenings, workshops for schools, special film events, Q&A’s, Cinemagic Young Filmmaker Competitions, the young festival jury and masterclasses in all aspects of television and filmmaking.
Industry professionals that have supported the Cinemagic Festival include Aardman Animation, Brian Cox, Brian Freisinger, Christine Blundell, Ciaran Hinds, Colin Hanks, Dame Helen Mirren, Danny Boyle, David Arnold, David Parfitt, David Perry, Dermot O’Leary, Gerard McSorley, Hamish Hamilton, Jenny Beavan, Julian Fellowes, Kenneth Branagh, Liam Neeson, Lindy Hemming, Mark Kermode, Mike Hodges, Mike Leigh, Patrick Doyle, Pierce Brosnan, Ralph Fiennes, Ros and John Hubbard, Roy Disney, Saoirse Ronan, Sir Alan Parker, Stephen Rea, Stephen Warbeck, and The Jim Henson Company.
Every year Cinemagic recruits 25 young film consultants who play a significant role in the planning and promotion of the Belfast 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.
Cinemagic is a member of ECFA: European Children's Film Association