Aspiring filmmaker gains experience in US

Amy Hinds (23) from Glengormely was one of nine young Cinemagic ambassadors from Northern Ireland who jetted off to Los Angeles for the Cinemagic Festival last month.
Amy Hinds.Amy Hinds.
Amy Hinds.

The aspiring local 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.

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

Amy said: “Each day was packed with tours of the major studios, expert guest speakers, and industry masterclasses, all of which proved to be both incredibly insightful and inspirational.

“Personal highlights include standing on the sound stage at Sony Pictures Studios which formally housed the famous “yellow brick road” from The Wizard of Oz, and attending the Cinemagic Gala where the short film we had just completed ‘Sasha of the sea’ was screened in front of a VIP audience.

“However, the most valuable thing I took from the trip was a new sense of determination and self-belief. This was largely fuelled by the people and organisations we met there, who never failed to greet us with kindness and enthusiasm and provided us with the support needed to help us pursue our dreams.”