First Cut! Youth Festival 2012 brings the magic of the movies to Cobh

This year is bigger and better than ever with many guest contributors, including bestselling author Roddy Doyle’s Fighting Words and international renowned animators Jan Caspers and Gary Rosborough.

For the first time in almost thirty years Cobh will have its own cinema. First Cut! is delighted to bring Cinemobile, Irelands 100 seater state of the art mobile cinema, to Cobh .This will be used to give young people an opportunity to have their work viewed on a big screen. This body of work will include both short films and animated works, and will give the audience an insight into the talent that exists in our young filmmakers. First Cut’s mission is to provide support and encouragement to young filmmakers while giving them a platform to show their work.

The festival, now in its fourth year, always seeks to innovate and this year is no exception. Earlier this year First Cut in conjunction with Cork County Council tourism department held the first Spike Music Video Competition. The competition was open to young musicians and bands in County Cork in it’s inaugural year and the response was really brilliant. The prize was a dream for any young musician, to have a professional music video filmed under the watchful eye of Cormac O’Connor of The Maple Rooms Production Company. The completed videos will be screened over the course of the festival and will give friends and family an opportunity to see finished work. The standard of entrants was at a very high level and the decision process was not easy, but seven winners were chosen and each of these had the opportunity to have their music videos filmed on the iconic Spike Island, a venue rich in atmosphere and history.

Along with showcasing the extraordinary talent and quality work of our young people, the festival will also screen some gems from the world of film, documentary and animation. The festival is open to everybody and will give people the opportunity to experience cinema in a magical scenic location.

The festival will also host a series of workshops designed to foster the creative spirit of young people. On Monday, for the first time outside of Dublin, Roddy Doyle and Sean Love bring their creative workshop “Fighting Words” to Cobh. Fighting Words helps students of all ages to explore and develop their writing skills. This is golden opportunity to hear from some of our greatest storytellers about their craft.

We are working hard to finalise the Festival Programme; with detailed news of screenings; youth shorts selected from the Open Call; feature films suitable for everyone; a whole variety of workshops, (all free!) and Q&A and more..

http://www.firstcutfilmfestival.com/