Cinemagic Film Festival & Belfast Harbour 2023
Context
Belfast Harbour is Northern Ireland’s principal maritime gateway and logistics hub, serving the Northern Ireland economy and increasingly that of the Republic of Ireland. As a Trust Port, Belfast Harbour works hard to deliver for everyone in Northern Ireland and provide a gateway to opportunity for all. Committed to delivering grassroots engagement, it continues to play a vital role in communities in Belfast and surrounding areas.
Cinemagic is an award-winning charity that embraces the magic of film, television and digital technologies to entertain, educate, motivate, and inspire young people. It offers young people the chance to develop real skills, explore opportunities, and reaffirm their belief in what they want to do and their own ability to achieve it.
Challenge
With the growth of the film and television industry in Northern Ireland, it is critical that organisations like Cinemagic and Belfast Harbour continue to train and develop skills within the creative industries in order to create a pipeline of skilled personnel who can be employed and service the many productions coming into Northern Ireland.
In support of its strategic priority to build a ‘Socially Responsible Port’, Belfast Harbour’s community engagement programme prioritises support for local communities, employability and skills and the environment. In line with these three key priorities, Belfast Harbour has supported the delivery of cultural, educational and sporting activities to enhance aspirations, offer pathways to achievement and broaden horizons for local communities across the City.
With the recent announcement of the Studio Ulster digital production facility, it is one of Belfast Harbour’s strategic goals to help establish Belfast as the largest media and film production hub in the UK outside of London. Working in partnership with Cinemagic and the young people it supports provided an excellent catalyst to achieve this strategic goal and ensure the future talent pipeline.
“The partnership between Belfast Harbour and Cinemagic plays a pivotal role in our ambition to support and future proof the screen industry in Northern Ireland. The Talent Labs provide an excellent opportunity for young people to gain exposure and learn from some of the best in the screen industry and through this, we are taking positive steps to ensure a strong talent pipeline for the creative industries.”
Jenni Barkley, Communications and Corporate Responsibility Manager at Belfast Harbour
Solution
The Arts & Business NI partnership allowed Belfast Harbour and Cinemagic to build upon their already existing Talent Labs partnership in order to strengthen and grow the delivery of the hugely successful industry-led masterclass series.
Working in partnership, the 2022/23 Talent Lab programme saw the design and delivery of nine practical masterclasses, led by film industry professionals, which introduced young people (aged 16 to 25) to different fields, roles and jobs in film and TV.
Funding through Arts & Business NI allowed Cinemagic and Belfast Harbour to deliver a further nine Talent Lab workshops in March 2023. These were part of Cinemagic’s highly acclaimed ‘On The Pulse’ Festival and were open to young people from all over Northern Ireland with 50 percent of places free of charge as part of the joint social inclusion remit to reduce financial barriers to participation.
Results
The first set of The Cinemagic Belfast Harbour Talent Lab Masterclasses were a resounding success and had a positive impact on all participants and in turn the screen industries sector. 200 young people aged 16 to 25 participated in the creative industries masterclasses delivered by experts in film and television industries. Speakers included Producer Phil Mount (CelebAbility, The Big Reunion), DOP Cinematographer Kate McCullagh (Normal People, The Quiet Girl), Actress Harriet Cains (Bridgerton), Director Michael Lennox (Derry Girls) and Presenter Dermot O’Leary (X Factor, BBC Radio 2, This Morning) to name a few.
A further 151 young people participated in the March 2023 Masterclasses and through these, Cinemagic were able to highlight and signpost vibrant career pathways in this sector in an inspiring and motivating way.
The shared passion between Cinemagic and Belfast Harbour undoubtedly contributed to the success of this partnership. The Masterclasses attracted young people who wished to find out about careers in the industry as well as nurturing the talent of those young filmmakers who are already forging careers in the industry.
“With the valuable support from Belfast Harbour in 2022/23 and the A&BNI Investment Programme, the Talent Lab Masterclasses can be programmed and accessed by young people locally. The Cinemagic Masterclasses and associated opportunities are so important as they inspire and encourage young people by offering them the chance to learn from industry professionals and gain practical hands-on experience.”
Joan Burney Keatings MBE, CEO at Cinemagic