Cinemagic celebration

This evening was the closing celebration for the Cinemagic International Film and Television Festival for young people.  It was held in the Odeon Cinemas at Victoria Square in Belfast and I was welcomed by Joan Burney Keatings, chief executive of Cinemagic.  The festival included the showing of films for young people, a schools programme for nursery, primary and secondary schools, and master classes in acting and other aspects of film making.

The closing celebration showcased some of their work and acknowledged the most promising participants.  There was a special showcase screening of short films that have been made by schools from throughout Northern Ireland who took part in the BT Vision Schools Filmmaking Project and the veening closed with a performance by the young participants from the ‘Songs from the Movies’ festival masterclass.

At the start of the evening I spoke to the audience about the value of this high-quality festival and I am delighted that my department is able to support it through Northern Ireland Screen, which is one of our arms-length bodies.  Other organisations that support Cinemagic include Coca Cola, Arts and Business NI, Titanic Quarter, Belfast City Council and Invest NI.

After returning home and listening to the news I was sorry to hear of the death of the British actor Richard Todd.  His father, who was a doctor, was of Scottish and Irish descent and he spent some of his childhood in the village of Toomebridge.  He is remembered for war films such as The Dam Busters, The Hasty Heart and The Longest Day.  In 2001 Todd revisited the family home in Toome and was accompanied by BBC Newsline.