NI’s promising young film and animation students celebrated at CCEA’s Moving Image Arts Showcase 2024

The two-day showcase, hosted at Brunswick Moviebowl, Derry/Londonderry, and Cineworld, Belfast, respectively, was attended by over 600 students, teachers, and industry experts, celebrating the success of NI’s Moving Image Arts GCSE, AS and A level students.

The annual event was supported once again by Northern Ireland Screen, Foyle Film Festival, City of Derry Crystal and Cinemagic. It showcased students' films across a range of genres and acknowledged the high quality of student achievement with the presentation of prestigious Moving Image Arts Awards by industry professionals.

The ceremony has gained recognition from leading figures in the film industry. This year’s guest speakers, and award presenters, included actress and composer Thaddea Graham (from ‘Sex Education’, ‘Bad Sisters’, ‘The Irregulars’ and ‘Dr Who’), Co-Founder of HaZimation, Paula Crickard, and Alleycats TV Assistant Producer, Hannah Murray.

Gerry Campbell, CCEA Chief Executive, said: “Congratulations to every student who was shortlisted for our Moving Image Arts Showcase this year. We continue to be inspired by the creativity, imagination, and skill of our students. Thank you to our showcase partners Northern Ireland Screen, Foyle Film Festival, City of Derry Crystal, and Cinemagic for your continued support in making this incredible event happen.”

CCEA’s Moving Image Arts qualification was first launched as the ‘Film School in School’ in 2003 with an intake of 69 students. It now attracts over 1500 students across GCSE, AS and A level. It is recognised for its pathway into creative careers such as screenwriting, graphic and games design, and directing.

Richard Williams, Chief Executive of Northern Ireland Screen commented: “The Moving Image Arts Showcase is a celebration of the talent and creativity of Northern Ireland's young film and animation students, whose passion for storytelling shines brightly every year. These students are not only the future of screen industry, they’re also demonstrating the project management skills and the creativity that can make them stand out in almost any field of work.”

Eavan King, Head of Film Programmes at Nerve Centre said: “Foyle Film Festival held the first Moving Image Arts awards 21 years ago and, in that time, we have celebrated so many young filmmakers, animators and creatives, many of whom have progressed into the screen industries in Northern Ireland and beyond.

“The Moving Image Arts qualification has been a game changer, providing all students the opportunity to develop knowledge, critical understanding and skills fostering a lifelong love of film. Many of these talented filmmakers have returned to screen films as part of our Oscar and BAFTA accredited Light in Motion competition at Foyle Film Festival, coming full circle from where they started from.”

Each shortlisted film was selected by a panel of experts, including representatives from Northern Ireland Screen, Into Film, ScreenWorks, Foyle Film Festival, BFI Film Academy, the Northern Ireland Creative Learning Centres, Cinemagic and CCEA Senior Teams.

The winning films were chosen for their strong production values, story, originality, and audience appeal and are listed below:

GCSE Best Film

GCSE Best Animated Film Category

AS Best Film Category

AS Best Animated Film Category

A2 Best Film Category

A2 Best Animated Film Category

Awards Presenters:

• Teresa McDonald - CINE Trainee – (GCSE Best Animated Film)
• Adam O’Connor - CINE Trainee – (GCSE Best Film)
• Paula Crickard - Film director/producer/games designer - Hazimation (company founder) - (AS Best Animated Film)
• Hannah Murray – Assistant Producer - Alleycats TV – (AS Best Film)
• Tim Bryans – Managing Director/co-founder – Alt Animation - (A2 Best Animated Film)
• Thaddea Graham – Actor and composer – (A2 Best Film)