Cork primary school students win big at film awards in Dublin

Students from three primary schools in Cork have been announced as winners at the 20th annual FÍS Film Awards.

The awards ceremony, held on Thursday at Dublin City University, saw students from Dungourney National School, Shanbally National School, and Kilgarriffe National School, honoured across three categories for their film projects.

The Cork students were among 1,500 entrants from across Ireland, and were recognised for showcasing an exceptional standard of storytelling, technical skill and imagination through filmmaking.

This year’s event, hosted by RTÉ’s Sinéad Kennedy and attended by the Minister for Education and Youth, Hildegard Naughton, marked two decades of the FÍS Film Project, and saw entrants awarded across 24 categories including acting, costume design, originality, storytelling and technical achievement.

Students from Dungourney National School received the Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking – Drama award for their film, DeValera’s Response; students from Shanbally National School, received the Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking – Acting award for their piece, The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln; and students from Kilgarriffe National School received the Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking for Curriculum Relevance (Geography) award for their project, Our Adventure Boat – Adventure to Egypt.

Ms Naughton said the annual awards showcase the “powerful role that creativity, collaboration and innovation play in teaching and learning across our primary schools”.

“As curriculum reform continues to support more flexible, student-centred approaches to education, it is important that we recognise and nurture the diverse talents, interests and strengths of young people, including those that extend beyond traditional academic pathways,” said Ms Naughton.

“Initiatives such as FÍS reflect key curriculum priorities by promoting creativity, critical thinking, communication, digital literacy and teamwork, while enabling pupils to express their ideas in meaningful and engaging ways.

“These experiences support wellbeing, inclusion and the development of transferable skills that prepare students for lifelong learning.

“I warmly congratulate all of the students, teachers and school communities involved, and I commend the strong partnerships that continue to support creative learning within our education system.” President of the Institute for Art, Design + Technology (IADT), David Smith, said the FÍS Film Awards have demonstrated the “power of creativity in education” for the last 20 years.

“At IADT, we are proud to support a project that gives young people the confidence to explore ideas, develop digital skills and tell meaningful stories through film,” said Mr Smith.

“Seeing pupils from schools across Ireland celebrated on a national stage is a testament to the impact of this programme.”