The Amma centre held an exciting night in the Armagh Theatre on Thursday 16th January 2025. 20 young people between the ages of 16 and 19 got to see their short films on the big screen with an audience of family, friends and industry professionals.
The BFI Film Academy has been held in the Amma centre in Armagh for over 10 years. It is a fantastic opportunity for young people, interested in the film and the creative arts to get hands-on experience in writing, producing and editing their very own short films. This year was no exception, as young people from Armagh City, Lurgan, Portadown, Banbridge and Dungannon came together, many meeting for the first time, to take part in the 12 week course.
During the course they pitched ideas for short films, two of which were selected. The students were split into groups for each idea, the scripts were written and roles assigned, as each student studied up on the area that they would be exploring within the crew. This learning of practical skills for film was aided by Masterclasses from industry professionals throughout, including documentary filmmaker Alison Miller, filmmaker Michael MacBroom, writer Sarah Gordon, cinematographer George Barnes, editor Oonagh Mallon and BFI Alumni Aine Donnelly. The masterclasses gave insight into the film industry, both in terms of the roles themselves and how routes to making careers out of them.
Each group was given a day to make their short films, with professional support and the students learned a great deal on these days, a real insight into the time pressures, practicalities but also the fun of filmmaking. Once all the footage had been gathered, it was up to the editors to weave their way through video files and tell the stories set out in the scripts. Additional ‘foley’ sound was gathered and one group even recorded their own soundtrack.
Finally it was time for the showcase, where the two films, DETOX and THE KNOCKING were shown to an eager audience. It was a great experience for the budding filmmakers to see this reaction to their work as gasps and laughs filled the auditorium. Another BFI Film Academy alumni, Meghan McArdle spoke to the group about her journey into the film industry and her recent experience on the set of the Netflix production Wednesday, closing the brilliant night by awarding each student a certificate of completion for the BFI Film Academy 2025.
