Four Cork primary schools shortlisted for annual FÍS Film Awards

Four Cork primary schools have been shortlisted for the 20th Annual FÍS Film Awards.

Designed for primary pupils, the FÍS Film Project guides children through every stage of filmmaking, from developing ideas and scripts to filming and editing.

The creative process encourages learning beyond the traditional classroom, while helping pupils to strengthen communication and collaboration skills.

The event, hosted by Cork native Sinéad Kennedy from RTÉ, is set to take place in the Helix in Dublin on February 12 and will feature a host of short films created by primary school children and their teachers across Ireland.

The schools and movies from Cork shortlisted for this year’s awards include, Dungourney NS for ‘DeValera’s Response’, Shanbally National School for ‘The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln’, Kilgarriffe National School for ‘Our Adventure Boat- Adventure to Egypt’ and Douglas Rochestown ETNS for ‘A Letter From Our Animals’. Successful nominees will be recognised across 24 categories, including acting, costume design, originality, and storytelling.

Special category

The awards aim to highlight the different components pupils and teachers consider when working as directors, producers, and screenwriters. 

This year, the awards will also feature a special category sponsored by Met Éireann, entitled ‘Met Éireann: Weather, Climate, and Our Future’, which invites pupils to explore meteorology and climate science through film.

Christina Reynolds, FÍS creative manager at IADT, said the awards are “about young filmmakers, their ideas, creativity and confidence in using film as a way to tell stories”.

“As the awards show marks its 20th anniversary, it’s especially encouraging to see such strong and sustained participation from young filmmakers right across the country,” said Ms Reynolds.

“Through the long-standing partnership between IADT and Oide Technology in Education, the FÍS Film Project continues to support schools in developing creative digital skills, giving students a platform to share their work and see what’s possible.”