Northern Irish actor Liam Neeson has lent his voice to the launch of a new Film Education initiative from the Cinemagic International Film Festival.
The Ballymena man, who is a patron of the charity, said he is “proud” to support the launch of the film education project which will see children from across the province come together to become film critics as Northern Ireland’s arts industry continues to flourish.
Running during October 2021, NI school children will be given access to a selection of new international short film animations which they will be tasked to watch and review before discussing the merits of each film before deciding on a winner.
Each participating class will submit their winning selection to Cinemagic before a live virtual announcement of the overall winner is made in November.
Cinemagic CEO, Joan Burney Keatings MBE said: “We are delighted to have the support of Liam Neeson narrating the campaign launch of the Schools’ Film Jury.
“Cinemagic encourages as many NI primary schools as possible to get involved in viewing new films as part of the Film Jury in classrooms this October.
“Watching and critiquing diverse films from around the globe allows young people to explore different cultures, travel the world ‘virtually’ and develop a thirst for debate and discussion, all of which is important in developing informed thinking and building communication skills.”
Along with the short films, schools will be provided with introductory recorded tutorials on film reviewing and critical thinking, as well as teacher resources on each of the short animations.
Films will reflect and complement curriculum learning and cover teaching areas including The World Around Us, Language & Literacy, Personal Development & Mutual Understanding, Physical Development & Movement, and The Arts.
Some of Cinemagic’s other famous patrons include James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan, Derry girls star Saoirse-Monica Jackson and Hollywood actress Saoirse Ronan.
To register interest Teachers should email schools@cinemagic.org.uk
