Tuesday 7th & Wednesday 8th, 10am, The Regal Cinema

Animation plays a major part in First Cut! Youth Film Festival because nothing conveys the magic of cinema like animation. That’s why we open the festival every year with a programme dedicated to animation for a local primary and secondary school audience.

Schools Workshop Screening

This year First Cut! Youth Film Festival provided animation workshops to over 300 young people in thirteen schools in Youghal and Midleton: Bunscoil Mhuire, Gaelscoil Choráin, Kyle National School, Kilcredann National School, Clonpriest National School, South Abbey National School, Park National School, Pobalscoil na Tríonóide, CBS Midleton, St. John The Baptist National School, Midleton College, St. Colmans Community College and Midleton Educate Together National School.

In Youghal, working with tutors Lisa McDonald, Kayde Middleton and Bekah Bustos, the workshops covered all the basic principles of hand drawn animation.

In Midleton, Flip Fest with animator Belinda Walsh enabled participants to create their own hand drawn flip books and optical toys.

The resulting short animations get their first screening in this programme!

First Cut! would like to thank all participating schools for their support of these workshops which were made possible through the generous support of The Arts Council, Cork County Council, Youghal Credit Union and the YIFM Network.

And Our Feature Presentation…

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On      

Marcel is an adorable, 1-inch-tall shell who ekes out a colorful existence with his grandmother, Connie, and their pet lint, Alan. When a documentary filmmaker discovers them, the short film he posts online brings Marcel millions of passionate fans, as well as unprecedented dangers.

Marcel the Shell will be accompanied by four magical shorts…

Chariots of Fire (Elodie Wallace)
A race across Sandymount Beach as imagined by a young animator.

The Fall (Desirae Witte)
Leafie is a plucky little maple leaf who loves to groove.

The Witch & the Baby (Evgenia Golubeva)
An ageing witch needs a baby for a spell to make her young again.

The Little Bird and the Caterpillar (Lena von Döhren)
The little bird has plenty of peace and quiet high up in its tree.

Our Wonderful Tutors

Belinda Walsh is a visual artist who graduated from Crawford College of Art and Design. Her special interest is in the use of stop motion animation techniques as a wonderful platform to encourage children and adults to communicate stories, ideas and concepts. She is one of the founders and coordinators of Midleton Arts Festival.

Lisa McDonald is an Irish animator and director. She graduated with a First Class Bachelor of Honours Award in Animation from IADT. She has spent the past six years studying both animation and fine art and finds her passion as a filmmaker in the combination of the two. She has now honed her focus to experimental, stop-motion animation and visual design.

Kayde Middleton is an Irish professional visual artist based in Dublin. With over a decade of experience in creative roles and mediums, including design, illustration and spray paint. Kayde’s attention to detail and colourful artistic expression exhibit his rich cultural background, making his artwork both relatable and unique. Other interests include stop-motion animation and creative writing.

Rebekah Bustos is an IADT Design for Stage and Screen graduate working professionally as a Production Designer/Art Director and Visual Artist in Ireland. She works closely with those she collaborates with to create striking sets and designs that accentuate the visuals of a project.