Amy takes on Cinemagic Ambassador role in Los Angeles

Amy Hinds (23) jetted off to Los Angeles with the group for the Cinemagic Festival.

Amy’s specific film interest is Editing, Post-production and Script-Supervising and she has been involved in the recent Cinemagic short film called Sasha of the Sea.

Speaking before heading off, Amy said she hoped “the trip will inspire me to continue to pursue my dreams of becoming a top filmmaker back home”.

She said: “For me, Cinemagic is important because they give young people the invaluable opportunity to network and work alongside industry experts both in Northern Ireland and in the USA, equipping young people with the best possible knowledge and advice required to get a head start in the film industry.”

The group of aspiring local young filmmakers joined forces with young people from Hamilton High School (Castle Heights), New Roads High School (Santa Monica) and Jordan High School (Watts) in Los Angeles during their stay.

They participated in an exciting, jam-packed programme of masterclasses, studio tours, screenings, presentations and film camps with representatives from the world’s biggest film and television studios.

These included FOX, HBO, Sony, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, CBS, Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood, New York Film Academy, Jim Henson Company, Remote Control Studios, Ross King MBE (a Cinemagic LA board member), director James Foley, award-winning producer Francis O’Toole, American actor Robert Picardio (STAR TREK), Lance O’Connor, Cinemagic LA board member, and executive producer and CEO of Minted Content.

The young people from Northern Ireland and Los Angeles also collaborated in a unique project to produce a piece of musical theatre which they performed and showcased this to an audience of celebrities, film and music industry executives at the annual Cinemagic Los Angeles Showcase event in Santa Monica, Los Angeles.

Joan Burney Keatings MBE, Chief Executive, Cinemagic International Film and Television Festival for Young People, said: “Filmmaking requires a collaborative approach. The partnership that we have managed to establish between Los Angeles and Belfast is really paying dividends for the young people from both locations.

“They are being provided with fantastic work experience and opportunities that they never imagined they could access.”