Over 20 events took place including specialist labs in business skills development, film screenings from new and emerging talent, and networking events for young filmmakers to meet each other and find out more about current opportunities. Venues visited included Glasgowbury Film Collective, Southern Regional College Armagh, South West College Omagh and Northern Regional College Coleraine.
Students met emerging film directors Dean Conway, GaiGai Xie and Peter Young whose films were seed funded through the BFI Film Academy programme and premiered at Foyle Film Festival in 2022. Northern Ireland Screens CINE work placement programme and Screen Academies programmes in film, VFX, animation and games were also showcased at each event. Special Industry-led labs took place with Christopher Grant (actor), Katherine Rowlandson (games developer), Joel Simon (animator), Judy Wilson (producer), and Peter E.Davidson (screenwriter).
David Corscadden from CINE at Southern Regional College, Armagh
The BFI Film Academy programme at Nerve Centre supports young people aged 16–25 who aspire to progress further in the screen industries, connecting them to production and exhibition opportunities through the BFI Network and BFI FAN network.
Nerve Centre Film Programmes Manager Eavan King said:
“We were delighted to be out across Northern Ireland with our BFI Film Academy events this month. These events are vital for creative media students to gain industry insight, get professional advice and support to develop their own filmmaking and access clear pathways and vital contacts in the screen industries.”
Kirk Gilmore, Creative Media Production Lecturer at South West College said:
“The rapid growth of the screen industries in Northern Ireland is great news for our students who are already developing their technical, creative and employability skills as part of their studies here. Events such as the BFI Film Academy delivered by Nerve Centre offer our students a valuable opportunity to hear directly from Industry about a wide variety of roles and pathways into the screen industries.”
“Students also get a chance to hear from early career entrants, young people from their area who are just in the door of the screen industries who can share their experience around the opportunities they have taken and where it has led them to next. That really motivates our students to pursue a career in the screen industries because they are seeing the possibilities in front of them.”
Glasgowbury Film Collective in Draperstown
BFI Film Academy Labs offer events for filmmakers to gain industry insight, get professional advice and support to develop their own filmmaking practices. They are delivered as practical masterclasses, workshops, talks from industry professionals and networking sessions.
BFI Film Academy Recommends is a film screening programme of highly recommended films made by new and established filmmakers, providing young people with the opportunity to appreciate and learn about the art of cinematic storytelling.
BFI Film Academy Scene hosts events that bring together young filmmakers from across the UK, showcasing their work through screenings, Q&As and networking opportunities, providing a unique opportunity to learn from and be inspired by filmmaking peers.
BFI Film Academy Venue Education Fund is delivered in Northern Ireland by Nerve Centre in partnership with Queens Film Theatre and Film Hub NI. The programme is part of the UK-wide BFI Film Academy programme and is supported using funds from the National Lottery.
Learn more about BFI Film Academy at Nerve Centre