Cinemagic Connects - Application

Cinemagic Connects: Short Film Academy

Cinemagic is looking for committed, talented and creative young people from Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland, aged 16-25.
Cinemagic is now recruiting the next cohort of aspiring young creatives for the 2026 Cinemagic Connects Academy supported by the Reconciliation Fund, administered by The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ireland.

From March to May selected participants aged 16-25 from across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will take part in a series of exciting film masterclasses and pre-production workshops — all leading up to the creation of a professionally-mentored short film.

Whether you’re passionate about directing, writing, camera, production design or sound, this is your chance to gain real industry insight and earn a credit on a short film that will be submitted to international film festivals.

Deadline: Thursday 12th February
Programme Dates:
Session 1: Tuesday 31st March, 10am-3pm, In Person

Session 2: Thursday 30th April, 7pm-8:30pm, Zoom

Session 3: Monday 18th May, 7pm-8:30pm, Zoom

Film Shoot:

Group 1: Wednesday 20th May, times TBC (*9am-5pm), In Person

Group 2: Thursday 21st May, times TBC (*9am-5pm), In Person

Session 4: Wednesday 27th May, 7pm-9pm, In Person
Can you commit to the above dates:*

YesNo
Participant Information:
Name*

First NameLast Name
Date of Birth*

DayMonthYear
Date
Email*
example@example.com
Address*

Street Address Line 2

CityCounty

Post CodeCountry
Please state the name of the school or college you attend, if applicable:
Emergency Contact Information:

**If you are under 18, this MUST be a parent or guardian.
Name:*

First NameLast Name
Email:*
example@example.com
Phone Number:*

Area CodePhone Number
Interest, Motivation & Creative Ambition
Why do you want to be involved in this programme?*

0/200
What department are you most interested in?*
Directing, Acting, Lighting, Set Design, etc.
Awareness & Understanding of the Screen Industry
What do you hope to learn about the screen industry through this programme?*
Expectations & Personal Goals
How do you hope this programme will impact your future education, creative projects, or career aspirations?*
Barriers & Equal Opportunities Monitoring
Have you faced any barriers to accessing filmmaking opportunities? You can tick more than one option:

FinancialGeographicalLack of equipmentLack of contactsLack of confidenceTechnical knowledge gapsOther
Cinemagic wishes to ensure that all aspects of our work reflect diversity and support equality of opportunity. Therefore, we would like to take this opportunity to ask you to complete an equality monitoring form.

This monitoring information helps us to identify where there are gaps in our recruitment so that we can work to attract talented people from these groups and areas. It also helps us to ensure that there is no discrimination.

Your cooperation in completing this form is greatly appreciated.

Any information you provide us with will be processed separately to your application and used for equalities monitoring purposes only. We use this information to produce anonymised statistical data on equalities, which we may publish and share with the government departments providing our funding.
Regardless of whether we practice religion, most of us in Northern Ireland are seen as either Catholic or Protestant. We are therefore asking you to indicate your community background by ticking the appropriate box below.
Please indicate the community to which you belong by ticking the appropriate box below:*

I am a member of the Protestant communityI am a member of the Roman Catholic communityI am not a member of either the Protestant or the Roman Catholic communities
Please state your gender*

Man (including trans men)Woman (including trans women)Non Binary / Gender QueerPrefer not to sayPrefer to self-identify
Are you the same gender as assigned to you at birth?*

YesNoPrefer not to say
Which option best describes your ethnic origin or background?*

White - English/Welsh/Scottish/Northern Irish/BritishWhite - IrishWhite - Gypsy or Irish TravellerAny other White backgroundMixed/Multiple ethnic groups - White and Black CaribbeanMixed/Multiple ethnic groups - White and Black AfricanMixed/Multiple ethnic groups - White and AsianAny other Mixed/Multiple ethnic backgroundAsian/Asian British - IndianAsian/Asian British - PakistaniAsian/Asian British - BangladeshiAsian/Asian British - ChineseAny other Asian backgroundBlack/ African/Caribbean/Black British - AfricanBlack/ African/Caribbean/Black British - CaribbeanAny other Black/African/Caribbean backgroundOther ethnic group - ArabOther ethnic group - JewishOther ethnic group - Middle Eastern and North African HeritageOther ethnic group - West and Central Asian HeritageAny other ethnic group
Are you disabled, have an impairment, condition or access need?*
If you selected 'Yes', what categories best describe your impairment, condition or access need? Please select all that apply.

Chronic or long-term conditionChronic or long-term painDexterity (handling or using objects)HearingLearning, understanding or concentratingMemoryMental healthMobility (moving around)Neurodivergence (including autism, social or behavioural differences or ADHD)Neurological condition (including epilepsy)Speech or languageStamina, breathing or fatigueVisionNone of these describe my impairment, condition or access need.Prefer not to sayPrefer to self-identify
How did you hear about this programme:*

Word of MouthCinemagic WebsiteSocial MediaPrint/Broadcast MediaOther
Photo & Videography Consent

-I give permission to participate in publicity (for promotional use for e.g. press/photography/social media/reviews/website/filming/evaluation use) associated with Cinemagic.

-By giving us permission, you are agreeing for a photo or videography content to be used by Cinemagic and its partners in its marketing and communications activities e.g. press/photography/social media/reviews/website/filming/evaluation use. The copyright of these images/footage belongs to Cinemagic.

-Photos/Videography will be stored in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

-Photos/Videography will be stored securely and authorized staff will have access.

-Cinemagic may use the participant’s name alongside the content only if approved by the participant/parent/guardian.

-Cinemagic will not use the photos/videography taken, or any other information you provide, for any other purposes other than the above and Cinemagic adheres to safeguarding policies and practices.

-A Parent/Guardian may ask Cinemagic to stop using the photo/videography at any time, in which case every effort will be made to prevent them being used in future, but they may continue to appear in content already in circulation.

If you are 18+ years old, you may tick this yourself - if not, please have a parent/guardian read over this beforehand:
Please tick one:*

Yes, I give permission.No.
Should be Empty:

Cinemagic Connects: Short Film Academy

Programme Dates:

Participant Information:

Emergency Contact Information:

Interest, Motivation & Creative Ambition

Awareness & Understanding of the Screen Industry

Expectations & Personal Goals

Barriers & Equal Opportunities Monitoring