BFI Film Academy at Foyle Film FestivalBFI Film Academy at Foyle Film Festival
Nerve Centre, Magazine Street, Derry~Londonderry
BFI Film Academy at Foyle Film Festival
BFI Film Academy offers opportunities for 16–25 year olds anywhere in the UK to get to know more about how to forge a career in the screen industries.
This event is supported by BFI Film Academy delivered by Nerve Centre connecting leading industry talent with young people. The programme is supported by National Lottery funding.
Writing for Film & Television Masterclass
10.45am
Matt McDevitt & Carley Magee in conversation with Rebecca Mairs
Join Rebecca Mairs in conversation with Derry-based writer Matt McDevitt (Casualty, Blue Lights, Yellowback) and Carley Magee (2024 New and Emerging Voice London Film Festival).
Carley and Matt will share their journeys into the industry and give tips on finding your voice as a writer, creating a portfolio, making connections and getting that all important commission.
Meet Matt McDevitt, Carley Magee & Rebecca Mairs
Matt McDevitt
Matt McDevitt was selected for BBC Belfast Voices, Danú Greenlight Lab and BBC Drama Room. His script Preservation is currently in development with Gaze/Anton. Matt was also a member of the writersroom for Season Two of BBC ONE PSNI drama Blue Lights. Winner of the BBC NI/Element Pictures award, Matt was recently chosen for BBC Pilot and is working on a full script commission for Hartswood. His crime drama Yellowback (Deadpan Pictures) is currently with broadcasters. Matt recently wrote an episode of Casualty due for broadcast February 2025 and has projects in development with Hat Trick, Conker and Wild Atlantic. Matt is represented by Francesca Devas at the Independent Talent Group.
Carley Magee
Carley was part of BBC Belfast Voice 2023, longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Playwriting 2023. Carley is a theatre-maker and writer for both stage and screen, passionate about making art in response to various issues. She is a facilitator for youth drama and won the George B. Miller Award for Playwriting for young people. Carley is currently an INVEST artist 24/25 for Theatre and Dance NI.
Rebecca Mairs
Rebecca is a Script Editor and Dramaturg with over a ten years' experience developing work for stage and screen. She's currently Development Assistant for multi-award-winning Keeper Pictures; prior to this she was Development Executive for Kennedy Films working across their slate of documentary, TV drama, feature film, and animation projects. For seven years she was Literary Manager of the Lyric Theatre Belfast (The Stage's UK Theatre of the Year 2023), where she managed the theatre's slate of commissions and talent development initiatives, including five iterations of the New Playwrights Programme.
Rebecca sits on the Board of the Irish Theatre Institute, the ITI's Playography Advisory Panel, and the Board of Commedia of Errors Theatre Company.
Producing & Directing an Award-Winning Short Film
11.45am
Margaret McGoldrick, Aidan Largey & Eavan King in conversation
Film and TV producer Margaret McGoldrick (Lie of the Land) and Director Aidan Largey (Silverpoint, Farr) will talk about their progression into the screen industry, producing and directing for short and feature films, and navigating the development process as a production team.
Meet Margaret McGoldrick & Aidan Largey
Margaret McGoldrick
Margaret is a Northern Irish Producer/Director for film and television. Margaret has produced several award winning shorts over the years and was the recipient of the Lord David Puttnam Scholarship in 2022. In 2023, Margaret produced her feature film debut Lie of the Land which premiered at Galway Film Fleadh taking the prize for Best Irish Debut. She is currently in production with feature documentary Hollywood Trailblazer: The Debra Hill Story, with Jamie Lee Curtis as Executive Producer.
Aidan Largey
Aidan is a Writer/Director of award winning work for BBC, HULU and RTE. He co-created the crime series Farr for RTE and Screen Ireland which went on to win Best Drama at ITVFest and Best Director at SeriesFest. He directed 5 episodes on Series 2 of BBC's YA sci fi series Silverpoint which has been nominated for a RTS award, and is currently casting on his debut feature thriller Monsters.
Action Filmmaking Masterclass with Chee Keong Cheung
2pm
This exclusive masterclass offers a deep-dive into the process of shooting action scenes, from the initial concept to final execution.
Participants will learn essential tips on devising dynamic action sequences, the importance of pre-visualisation (pre-vis), and how to translate bold ideas into thrilling screen moments.
Meet Chee Keong Cheung
British filmmaker and CEO of Action XTreme, Chee Keong Cheung has over 20 years industry experience as a writer, director, producer and distributor, Chee brings unparalleled insight into crafting exhilarating action sequences and project development.
Action Xtreme is the first major action studio in the UK, a global entertainment company with a targeted focus on grassroots talent growth, training, and developing film, TV and online action content for a worldwide audience. Their debut film, the action thriller Every Last One of Them, featured an impressive cast including Oscar-winner Richard Dreyfuss (Jaws), Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs), Jake Weber (Meet Joe Black) and Taryn Manning (Orange Is the New Black). They currently have three films in post-production: the sci-fi horror The Experiment, starring Rhona Mitra (Underworld: Last of the Lycans) and Famke Janssen (X-Men); the POV action thriller Bad Day at the Office, starring John Hannah (The Mummy) and Radha Mitchell (Silent Hill); and the Nigerian-set action thriller Son of the Soil, starring Raz Adoti (Black Hawk Down).
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