Cinemagic Los Angeles Set to Inspire and Celebrate Young Talent

The award-winning Cinemagic Film and Television Festival for Young People announce Belfast City Airport, NI Connections and NI Bureau as sponsors of the annual Cinemagic Los Angeles Showcase being held on Friday 28th June at The Fairmont Miramar Hotel and Bungalows, Santa Monica.

500 invited guests from the world of film, TV, entertainment and business will watch the premier screening of Cinemagic’s latest short film production made in Los Angeles and Northern Ireland, empowering young people to unlock their creativity and build industry connections.

Cinemagic Los Angeles, now in its 15th year, profiles Cinemagic as a global player in the creative industries, nurtures young talent and highlights the organisation’s success stories internationally.

Cinemagic’s Los Angeles Showcase marks the culmination of a week-long programme for teenagers from Northern Ireland and Los Angeles who will benefit from exclusive talks taking place at The Maybourne Beverly Hills, as well as tours and masterclasses with top talent from major film and TV studios in the heart of American film industry.

The teenagers from 12 schools and colleges in Northern Ireland and Los Angeles will visit the iconic global media and entertainment company, Warner Bros. Discovery, Imagine Entertainment and hear from industry guest speakers who will share insights and experiences with them. Guests include Emmy-winning TV Producer Jillian King (Rachael, Red Table Talk) and James Longman, Executive Producer of the Late Late Show with James Corden.

Representing Belfast at Cinemagic Los Angeles will be 16 teenagers who are participants of IGNITE, an innovative youth leadership initiative established by Belfast City Airport, in partnership with Cinemagic, which aims to provide young people from all backgrounds with life-changing opportunities. To date, the programme has supported over 100 young people, developing their leadership skills and setting them up for future success. The young people will collaborate with participants from recent Cinemagic Los Angeles projects including the short film productions ‘Dream Notes’ made in partnership with Hawthorne School District and ‘Heaven and Earth’ made in partnership with Jordan High School, Watts. Participants had never engaged with film and the arts in this way before and all of their achievements will be celebrated during the week’s special events.

Cinemagic Los Angeles in partnership with Belfast City Airport is supported by NI Connections, Northern Ireland Bureau, The Fairmont Miramar Hotel and Bungalows, Santa Monica, The Maybourne Beverly Hills, BritWeek, ELMA, CIACLA, LMU.

Cinemagic CEO, Joan Burney Keatings MBE, commented: “We are incredibly proud to collaborate with so many incredible organisations from both Northern Ireland and Los Angeles. The shared ethos among everyone involved is a catalyst for Cinemagic to offer the highest quality opportunities for young people in the creative industries.”

Belfast City Airport, Chief People and Marketing Officer, Michele Hatfield, said: “At Belfast City Airport, we are passionate about building the workforce of tomorrow and championing young people to become future leaders. Through our IGNITE programme, the young people have already achieved great things and shown incredible potential. The Cinemagic Los Angeles Showcase is the perfect opportunity to reward their hard work and dedication and celebrate their successes.”

Head of NI Connections, Moira Loughran, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Cinemagic as sponsor of the Los Angeles Showcase as we see it as a fantastic opportunity to be able to both help and highlight the immense talent of our young people from Northern Ireland. It is an opportunity to make and build industry connections in the USA and for us at NI Connections, that is what we are passionate bout – making those connections and providing our diaspora with an opportunity to demonstrate the full potential of their talent and influence.”

Northern Ireland Bureau, Director Andrew Elliot, commented: “It’s such a pleasure to partner with Cinemagic Los Angeles, which is helping shape our future leaders; and providing them with the inspiration to be part of Northern Ireland’s flourishing Creative Industries.”