TEMPO film fan, Alex Murphy (8) was one of 100 young people welcomed by Cinemagic to the annual Young Consultants panels over the summer in Belfast.

The Young Consultants helped select and programme a series of films for the Cinemagic International Film and Television Festival programme, taking place in Belfast from October 9 until November 4.

The participants in the young consultants programme in association with Gentle Dental Care Belfast, worked with the Cinemagic team to help steer the choice of films for the Festival, as they watched and critiqued films from around the globe!

The participants from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland enjoyed the opportunity to interact with young film enthusiasts, deciding some of the content of the largest film festival for young people in the UK and Ireland.

Chris Shaw, Cinemagic Programmer said: “Our young consultants were fantastic and did a brilliant job reviewing international films guided by Cinemagic. There was a lot of discussion and debate, and it was great to hear their feedback on a whole range of programming, focusing on areas such as film genre and directing, to writing, classification and film music."

Adam Jaffa, Managing Partner, Gentle Dental Care Belfast added: “It has been great to see young people getting their teeth stuck into all things film with this innovative programme. Cinemagic are so creative getting young people to work together and we are delighted to offer our support”.

The Cinemagic Festival will include new film screenings from around the world, film-making workshops, competitions, masterclasses and exciting film education events for young people.

Cinemagic is now recruiting jury panels made up of six to 11 year olds and 12 to 25 year olds to watch and judge a series of international films during the Cinemagic Belfast 2015 Festival programme this autumn.

The CineSeekers and CineFocus initiative aims to inspire future cinema-going audiences and provides a platform for debate and discussion! Cinemagic film jury members will have the opportunity to meet other young film fans, learn about the role of the film critic, meet filmmakers and festival guests and play an important role in the Festival.

The CineSeekers and CineFocus jury members meet in festival cinemas in Belfast where they will enjoy a feast of film and decide on the winning films of the festival which will be announced at a special showcase evening at the close of the festival.

The Cinemagic Festival Jury programme is a much anticipated part of the festival every year. The young people enjoy watching new films and making new friends whilst learning about film culture. By providing young audiences with a unique, creative and fun-filled outlet for world cinema, the aim is to develop and nurture a broader appreciation, understanding and love of film, as well as celebrating the stories, peoples and cultures from around the globe.

To register for the Cinemagic Belfast 2015 Festival Jury: download a CineFocus or CineSeekers Jury Registration Form at www.cinemagic.org.uk and return to Cinemagic by post at 49 Botanic Avenue, Belfast, BT7 1JL, or email Claire Shaw claire@cinemagic.org.uk.

Telephone 028 90 311 900 for further information.