First Cut! Youth Film Festival Filmmaking Through Irish Competition

First Cut! is delighted to announce the return of its filmmaking through Irish programme Athrú Amháin. This competition is an initiative for young filmmakers to make films in the Irish language that tackle the urgent topic of climate change and create one minute films that focus on solutions.

This exciting competition is open to two age groups: 12 to 14 and 15 to 18, working individually or in groups. Participants are invited to make one-minute-long films in Irish that explore climate change and how to make our world a more sustainable place. Any approach to this theme is welcomed: documentary, drama, animation or even comedy. The important thing is that they have a genuine perspective on climate change and that the short films represent young people’s views and feelings on an issue that is important to everyone. Then, all you need to do is send it to us at firstcutfestinfo@gmail.com 

All films made as part of ATHRÚ AMHÁIN will be screened at the 2023 First Cut! Youth Film Festival on Thursday March 9th, where the competition winners will be announced. The deadline for submission is the 28th of February! For more details, download the Information Pack here.

This year we are delighted that Dónal Ó Céilleachair will lead a live zoom workshop. Dónal is a multiple-award-winning filmmaker with 30 years of experience and is currently focusing on ecological-based projects through research, workshop and new films. Athrú Amháin workshop is designed to inspire students to explore new ways of engaging with the ecological crisis and climate crisis through a story. Because they are both linked together

 and by looking at the bigger picture of what is going on in our world at present with the ecological crisis, we get a chance to look at both. In an inspiring, interactive & experiential practice-based workshop setting participants are introduced to new story possibilities for engaging with the central themes of the pivotal times we live in.

So for the Athrú Amháin Project, your films can be made about either the ecological crisis or the climate crisis, or both – that’s up you.

In addition, free on-demand and specially made short filmmaking workshops, from Arran Bradstock, will be made available to all participating young people and groups. The short videos will take them through the steps to make and edit their one-minute films that focus on solutions to climate change. Films can be made using whatever equipment participants have access to including smartphones so technology is not a barrier. No prior filmmaking experience is necessary.

Dónal Ó Céilleachair is a multiple-award winning filmmaker with 30 years of experience in cinema, broadcast television and the arts. His work has been shown in cinemas, museums, galleries, film festivals and on broadcast television and streaming services worldwide. He is currently focusing on ecological-based projects through research, workshop and new film projects and his wide-ranging international experience across the independent film landscape has seen him work on over 50 different film projects over the past 30 years; from independent films for cinema release, to television programmes for broadcast to experimental films for gallery installation.