CBBFC News

BBFC takes part in the 24th annual Cinemagic International Film and Television programme for children aged 12 and over in Belfast

The 24th Cinemagic International Film and Television Festival programme for 12-25 year olds returns to Belfast cinema screens from 18-28 November.

The Cinemagic education programme introduces pupils to film classification through screenings and workshops from the BBFC that will involve over 200 young people. BBFC Head of Education Lucy Brett will use high profile films including Warm Bodies (12A), to explain how films are classified in the UK and why, as well as showing young people how they can make informed decisions about what they watch by using BBFC age ratings and BBFCinsight information.

Lucy Brett, Head of Education at the BBFC said: “The Cinemagic International Film and Television Festival is a fantastic environment in which to meet young film makers who are enthusiastic about making and understanding film making and film classification. Getting feedback from young people is important to our work and Film Examiners really benefit from the points of view we gather from the young people we speak to at Cinemagic, as well as during our visits to schools, colleges and universities across the UK. This year we’ll be asking young people to get hands-on with classification, showing us how they would use the BBFC Guidelines to classify a film, and to tell us what they think about the age rating of the films and sessions we introduce during the festival.”

Further education workshops and events taking place at Cinemagic include The Original Screenplay with the Writers Guild of Ireland; Genre Study: Action adventure and Science Fiction; Film Music; Acting for Silent Film; Special Effects Makeup; and Pro-Copyright Education.

In addition to its education programme, the festival features film previews, talent masterclasses, and competitions, and culminates with a gala awards ceremony in Belfast City Hall, at which young film talent will be recognised and the winners of the festival films announced.

Special guests taking part in Cinemagic this year include film critic and broadcaster, Mark Kermode; filmmaker and journalist, Ashley Thorpe (Fangoria Magazine); film journalist, Helen O’Hara (Empire); Academy Award and BAFTA Award winning producer, Gareth Ellis Unwin (The King’s Speech), actress Suranne Jones; and director Tony Mitchell, who has worked on hit series The Bible and Primeval.

Find out more about Cinemagic.